Virginia man accused of transporting 100 pounds of marijuana on Pa. Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township

Drug charges were held for court Tuesday against a Virginia man state police accuse of transporting 100 pounds of marijuana on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County earlier this year.

Navdeep Singh Chahal, 30, of Lorton, Va., will face formal arraignment in October, according to online court records.

A state trooper pulled over the SUV Chahal was driving eastbound near mile marker 75 on April 29 in Mt. Pleasant Township. Police said in court papers that Chahal was following the vehicle in front of him too closely and was driving 78 mph in a 70 mph zone.

Chahal refused to let troopers search the Chevrolet Tahoe after police said they noticed indicators of criminal activity. A state police K-9 indicated drugs were present in the SUV and investigators found the marijuana in three duffel bags, according to court papers.

A drug possession with intent to deliver charge and two summary traffic violations were filed against him in May. He was permitted to return home to Virginia and the charges were mailed to him by summons, according to online court records.

“They don’t see him as a flight risk,” said his attorney Terrence McGowan of Harrisburg.

Chahal was arraigned Tuesday and is free on $25,000 unsecured bond. McGowan declined to comment on the case.

The street value of marijuana is about $3,000 per pound. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2019 drug threat assessment, marijuana trafficking in the United States typically moves between states that have legalized production of it to those that have not by private vehicle, tractor-trailer, airplane, or some other means.