GREENWOOD, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — A burned-out license plate light turned into a major drug arrest early Sunday morning after Greenwood police uncovered large amounts of narcotics during what began as a routine traffic stop on Interstate 20.
In the early hours of January 4, 2026, Greenwood police officers stopped a vehicle on the I-20 eastbound on-ramp for a non-working license plate light, a minor equipment violation that typically ends with a warning.
The traffic stop quickly escalated when officers approached the vehicle and detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside. Police say the driver, identified as 45-year-old Antonio Banks, admitted there was marijuana inside the car and acknowledged it was not a personal-use amount.
Officers conducted a probable-cause search and found approximately two pounds of marijuana packaged in vacuum-sealed bags, cocaine hidden inside a Newport cigarette pack, a plastic straw, and additional drug paraphernalia commonly used to package and consume narcotics. The vehicle was impounded, and all evidence was seized and secured.
Banks was transported and booked into the Caddo Correctional Center.