I-40 Traffic Stop Yields Two Kilograms of Cocaine

An Illinois woman who was stopped on I-40 for a traffic violation Thursday is facing drug-trafficking charges after officers found cocaine hidden in her rental car. 

Johnie Carter, director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force (WTDTF), said 47-year-old Jamila Akita-Odebor of Chicago was driving a rental car when she was stopped just before noon Thursday on I-40 at the Fayette and Shelby County line.

Carter said the illegal drug shipment of 4.4 pounds has a wholesale street value of close to $70,000.

“Drug Seizures are rapidly on the rise,” Carter said. “We have already surpassed 2021 seizures in just the first 45 days of this year.  I would venture an educated guess to say that 90 percent or more of West Tennessee’s violent crime and property crime are in some way connected to the sale and / or use of drugs.”

He said Akita-Obedor also had small amounts of ecstasy, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the vehicle.

 Carter said that when Task Force officers developed reasonable suspicion that Akita-Obedor likely was involved in criminal activity, they conducted a canine sniff on the vehicle which led agents to discover the cocaine concealed in the vehicle’s trunk area. 

 Carter said it is believed the contraband was being taken to Ohio from Texas. Akita-Odebor was taken to the Fayette County Jail.

 The WTDTF operates by joint agreement in the 28th, 29th and 30th Judicial Districts and also includes members from the Fayette, Haywood and Tipton County Sheriff’s Departments and the Memphis and Germantown Police Departments.

Fayette County, which is in the 25th Judicial District, includes about 15 miles of I-40.