A deputy arrested a man early Thursday morning carrying more than $50,000 in methamphetamine, said the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department.

Francisco Rodriguez Vizcara, 23, of Hillsboro, Ore., was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

According to Sheriff Terry Langley, Vizcara was pulled over on Interstate 20 near Levans Road by Deputy Brian Finley at around 8 a.m. Thursday. Vizcara looked nervous as Finley approached his black 2003 Acura but allowed the deputy to search the car, according to Finley’s report. Langley said that the search revealed several hidden compartments in the back seat which contained four pounds of “crystal meth,” or methamphetamine in its highly-concentrated crystal form.

“We have been told that the meth is probably worth $14,000 a pound,” Langley said. “There’s well over $50,000 there.”

Vizcara was taken into custody and was in the Jack T. Bell Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.

Vizcara’s car was brought to the sheriff’s office for a more extensive search. Langley said the investigation into Vizcara’s activities continues.

“We’d like to know where he was going, but we’ll just see how much he cooperates, if he does or not,” he said. “He is certainly part of a trafficking operation, but how big, that’s to be determined. It could be a one-man show or a two-man show.”

Langley said methamphetamine is popular partly because the high a person gets from using the drug lasts longer than crack, and its components can be purchased anywhere.

“It’s a pretty good-sized bust, not the biggest one we’ve ever had, but we believe with the good work of the deputies they’ve taken a sizeable amount of crystal meth off the market,” Langley said.