A routine traffic stop in LaPorte County turned into a major drug arrest after the same vehicle was stopped twice in one day.

Police say the first stop happened Thursday morning on Interstate 94 near Michigan City. Officers found a small amount of marijuana and about $10,000 in cash but released the occupants.

A little more than three hours later, the same officer spotted the vehicle returning from Michigan with a different driver behind the wheel. During a second search, investigators say they found 15 pounds of marijuana, additional marijuana products, THC vape cartridges, and pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes inside a storage tote in the trunk.

Police say 45-year-old Kelvin Ezell, of Columbia, Missouri, admitted the marijuana belonged to him. He is being held in the LaPorte County Jail on a felony charge of dealing in marijuana. If convicted, he could face up to six years in prison.