It started as a simple traffic stop, but ended up as a drug bust.

After unscrewing panels and removing a makeshift shelf inside a van, Alachua County Sheriff's officers found what they were looking for: more than 10 pounds of marijuana hidden in a secret compartment.

Deputies said they could smell the marijuana when they first pulled over three men for tailgating another vehicle heading south on I-75 on Friday.

Deputies also found more than four thousand dollars in cash.

Diosdado Cabello, Didier Castro, and Omar Ortega are charged with possession with intent to distribute.

The men told officers they were farmers, traveling from Kentucky to Miami.

They said they did not own the van and didn't know the drugs were there.