BIG WHIFF ON THE FREEWAY ARREST NETS 23 POUNDS OF POT.

Byline: CAROL ROCK Staff Writer

CASTAIC -- A Los Angeles man was arrested after a California Highway Patrol officer who stopped his rental car for speeding smelled marijuana and found 23 pounds in the trunk.

Dingane Pili Jackson, 26, was returning from the San Francisco Bay Area when he was pulled over by CHP Officer Byron Wong about 10 a.m. Monday on Interstate 5 north of Castaic.

``As I approached the vehicle, I smelled a strong odor of marijuana,'' Wong said. ``There was nothing in the passenger compartment, but when he popped the trunk, it was overwhelming.''

Inside the trunk of the Alamo Rentals 2006 Chevrolet Malibu were 13 gallon-size bags of marijuana buds, three vials of hashish oil and 14 buttons of hashish, officials said.

``Just one of these buttons is a felony,'' Wong said.

Along with the marijuana, Wong found a box of Icy Blast Irish Spring bar soap - presumably to mask the smell.

Jackson was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and transporting marijuana for sale, all felonies. He was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station Monday afternoon.

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