U-Haul Is Hauling A Lot Of Illegal Cannabis Shipments These Days — Thanks To Renters

Illicit weed is being moved around the country in rented, neatly-packed U-Haul trucks, until the K-9s get a sniff and blow their cover.

Los Angeles authorities are investigating a bizarre crash involving a rented U-Haul truck that slammed into the gates of the police and fire station Thursday night.

When first responders arrived on the scene, they found two passengers who had rented the truck, one who'd been shot in the arm. They also found several cardboard boxes filled with vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana.

Investigators are trying to determine how the shooting happened, authorities said.

At one point during the night, police say the driver who rented the U-Haul sideswiped a BMW but did not stop.

Both people in the weed-bearing truck were immediately arrested for possession of narcotics, according to a local ABC channel. The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment Friday morning.

Not The First Time U-Haul Was Caught Hauling Weed

In January 2023, police pulled over a rented U-Haul truck that was driving erratically in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Texas police's K-9 Benni and his handler happened to be in the vicinity and soon arrived on the scene, reported WFFA.com. Benni sniffed out nearly 840 pounds of vacuum-sealed cannabis, 242 pounds of edibles infused with magic mushrooms and 1,100 THC vape cartridges neatly packed into 31 mailing boxes. Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said the total bust was worth $1.7 million.

Ohio Holds The Record

Two of the largest U-Haul hauls, so far, have occurred in Ohio. In 2014, troopers in Preble County seized 2,330 pounds of weed, worth more than $12 million, packed in a rented, brand new Ford U-Haul with Arizona plates.

“It was literally a ton,” patrol spokesman Lt. Jon Payer said at the time.

The largest seizure, so far, occurred in 2005 when troopers seized 3,181 pounds of marijuana, also in Preble County, which is about an hour northwest of Downtown Cincinnati.

Photo courtesy of Wise County Sherriff’s Office