SALINE COUNTY, ARKANSAS — A traffic stop on Interstate 30 in Saline County led to the seizure of more than 2,800 pounds of narcotics worth an estimated $4.5 million after deputies discovered the driver was a foreign national operating on an expired tourist visa with a New York driver’s license behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle displaying Alaska license plates.
The stop occurred on February 22, 2026, when a Saline County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled over a commercial vehicle at mile marker 106 on I-30. Deputies discovered a large quantity of illegal narcotics inside the vehicle and arrested the driver without incident.
The driver, Firdavs Nazarov, 38, of the Republic of Tajikistan, was in the United States on an expired tourist visa. He carried a New York driver’s license. The commercial vehicle displayed Alaska license plates. During the investigation, company owner Aleksey Shcherbina told investigators that Nazarov was hauling the truck’s contents from Oregon to North Carolina.
The DEA and Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the investigation. The Saline County Sheriff’s Office released details of the seizure on April 1, 2026.
“This seizure represents a substantial disruption to the distribution of illegal narcotics and highlights the Saline County Sheriff’s Office’s continued commitment to public safety and proactive law enforcement efforts,” SCSO said.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
