Ohio Woman Finds 8 Pounds Of Marijuana In Spare Tire Of New Car

APIn this Jan. 11, 2010 photo, a worker shows a marijuana bud for sale at the Lotus Medical dispensary in Denver.

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio woman took the car she bought seven months ago to a dealership to replace a flat tire this week and learned she has been driving around with eight pounds of marijuana in the spare.

Mechanics at the dealership in Amherst, Ohio, west of Cleveland made the discovery when they installed the spare tire and heard a "loud thumping" as the woman drove away, police said on Wednesday.

They found marijuana worth about $12,000 wrapped in plastic that had been stashed in the tire, according to Chief Deputy Dennis Cavanaugh of the Lorain County, Ohio Sheriff Department.

The car was purchased new in August.

Cavanaugh said the woman has not been charged with any crime, and investigators were trying to trace the marijuana back to parts suppliers or vehicle transport firms.

Cavanaugh said this case was not the first time marijuana has been found in unexpected places, including tires and hidden compartments.

"I'm sure it is not the only vehicle out there with this," Cavanaugh said.

(Reporting by Kim Palmer and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Gunna Dickson)