One of the largest — if not the largest — confiscations of drugs by the Peru police patrol division took place early Friday morning.

An officer saw a driver operating a Toyota Land Cruiser commit traffic violations at 12:17 a.m. on Route 251 near Interstate 80. Pulling over the vehicle, the officer had the department's drug-sniffing dog brought to the scene. The dog detected narcotics, according to Chief Doug Bernabei. A search uncovered 14 pounds of marijuana in an overhead luggage carrier.

The driver, Jesse C. Keyes, 23, of Sandwich, Mass., was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, a Class X felony punishable by a minimum six-year prison term. He was taken to the La Salle County Jail, where he remained Tuesday, needing $15,000 to make bond. The public defender's office is representing him.

Bernabei estimated the marijuana is worth at least $50,000, making it perhaps the patrol division's biggest drug haul. An investigation is under way, with the Oglesby-based Tri-County Drug Enforcement and Narcotics Team assisting.