What four out-of-towners were thinking before they became guests of Mendocino County, courtesy of the marijuana trade, will likely remain a mystery.

"Hey officer, why are you going my way," shouted Maurice Dandre Barnett, 26, of Salinas, to Deputy Scott Brixie as the deputy pulled into the Tower Mart in Willits the night of April 13, according to reports.

Barnett was putting gas in a white 2007 Pontiac car rented from the Monterrey area. Barnett and Brixie conversed for several minutes before Joseph Leonard Johnson, 25, of Marina, came out of the gas station office and walked toward the car. "I don't know him," Barnett allegedly then told Brixie. Sgt. Michael Davis and partner K-9 Officer Dutch drove up next to pair and Dutch alerted his handler to the possible presence of drugs in the car's trunk.

The subsequent search netted nine pounds of marijuana packaged for sale and about $15,000 in cash. Barnett and Johnson were arrested on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale.

A deputy stopped a silver Dodge van with expired tags and broken tail light on Highway 101 near Shimmins Ridge Road the evening of April 19. As the deputy approached the vehicle, the driver, Harmony Blossom, 33, from Los Angeles, appeared to be extinguishing a joint with her foot. According to reports, Blossom told officers she was a yoga instructor from Los Angeles on a mercy mission to assist a pregnant friend in Covelo. The passenger, David Lee Fuller, 30, of Hollywood, told officers he was just along for the ride, having left home in Los Angeles to go to a movie and then on a nature drive.

Blossom told the deputy that while she had a medical recommendation for marijuana use, she had no marijuana in the car. The deputy noted a strong, fresh marijuana smell coming from the vehicle and discovered 10 pounds of marijuana packaged for sale and 11.6 grams of hashish.

Blossom and Fuller were arrested on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale and possession of concentrated cannabis. Fuller also had an outstanding warrant from Los Angeles.