Vermont man grew pot because he thought it’d be legal soon, police say

/in , , , , , , /by

ST. ALBANS, Vt. — Vermont police have arrested a man who acknowledged growing marijuana to prepare for possible statewide legalization of the drug.

St. Albans police say they came across Michael Marshall while investigating a hunting violation. Marshall fled into a house after a confrontation with police, and then consented to a search of the residence. Police say they then found and seized 13 full-grown marijuana plants and 27 smaller plants.

Police say Marshall told them he thought…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Colorado House votes to bar cops from helping with federal marijuana crackdown

/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

DENVER — Colorado may prohibit law enforcement officers from assisting in a potential federal marijuana crackdown.

The state House voted 56-7 Wednesday to bar public employees from assisting federal agents in “arresting a Colorado citizen for committing an act that is a Colorado constitutional right.”

The Colorado bill doesn’t specifically mention marijuana. But sponsors say it is inspired by threats that federal authorities may try cracking down on the marijuana industry. Federal…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

In a first, drug use eclipses alcohol in fatal crashes

/in , , , , , , /by

By Ashley Halsey Iii, The Washington Post

For the first time, statistics show that drivers killed in crashes are more likely to be on drugs than drunk.

Forty-three percent of drivers tested in fatal crashes in 2015 had used a legal or illegal drug, eclipsing the 37 percent who tested above the legal limit for alcohol, according to a report released Wednesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility.

Of the drivers who tested…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

7 protesters arrested for handing out free joints near U.S. Capitol

/in , , , , , /by

WASHINGTON — The conflict between federal and local laws on marijuana played out in the shadow of the Capitol on Thursday, when seven pro-pot activists were arrested for doing something that’s been legal in Washington for the past two years — handing out free joints.

U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that they invoked federal law in making the arrests. Two women and one man were charged with possession with intent to distribute pot, while four women were charged with simple possession,…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

4 get federal prison for conspiring to ship Colorado pot

/in , , , , , , , /by

PUEBLO — Four men who conspired to grow marijuana in Colorado to sell it in Florida have been sentenced to federal prison terms.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports that the men were arrested in March 2016 in one of multiple raids conducted last year in Pueblo County.

The ring leader, Dennis Rodriguez, was sentenced to the longest term — 2 ½ years in prison — on Thursday. Judge R. Brooke Jackson sentenced Rodriguez’s brother Angel and Daniel Bingham to 14 months and sentenced Nathaniel…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

DEA asks Colorado AG’s office for info on marijuana crimes, “for the new administration”

/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Amid speculation about how the Trump administration will confront marijuana legalization in states such as Colorado, a Drug Enforcement Administration supervisor has sent an e-mail to a prosecutor in the state attorney general’s office seeking information, “for the new administration.”

The e-mail was sent early last month by a supervisor on the financial investigations team in the DEA’s Denver field office to Michael Melito, a senior assistant attorney general. The e-mail asks for…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Eight of 16 people indicted in Colorado marijuana trafficking operation listed as having state pot licenses

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

Eight of the 16 people indicted on charges they ran a massive illicit marijuana operation that sold and shipped weed out of state are listed in Colorado records as having active or expired licenses to work in the legal pot business.

Michael Alan Stonehouse, the alleged ringleader, has an active “key” license — for operating a marijuana business — that is valid until November 2018, Marijuana Enforcement Division records show. That’s despite a past felony conviction and state…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Arapahoe County judge keeps $1 million bail for accused leader of pot trafficking ring

/in , , , , , , /by

An Arapahoe County judge refused Thursday to reduce the $1 million bail for a man accused of leading a ring suspected of illegally growing marijuana and selling it out-of-state, despite objections from his lawyer, who called the bust politically motivated.

Christopher Decker, a lawyer for Michael Stonehouse, accused 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler, who is considered a possible GOP candidate for governor in 2018, of inflating the seriousness of the crime to elevate his…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Second person pleads guilty in connection with 2015 Pierce marijuana-smuggling deaths

/in , , , , , , /by
Samantha Simmons

Provided photo

Samantha Simmons

A second person pleaded guilty Wednesday in connection with a 2015 double killing that Weld prosecutors say was tied to an ill-fated marijuana-smuggling operation.

Samantha Simmons, 27, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to a crime in a plea deal in which she will cooperate with prosecutors and testify. Weld District Court Judge Thomas Quammen also dismissed the 10 charges she initially faced, including first-degree murder.

Simmons was one of five people…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

At least 20 times this decade, marijuana SWAT raids turned deadly

/in , , , , , /by

Since 2010, at least 20 SWAT raids involving suspected marijuana dealers have turned deadly, according to data compiled by the New York Times.

The list of fatalities includes small-time dealers and people who sold the occasional joint to a friend, as well as people suspected of dealing in more serious drugs like crack or meth, but who were found to be in possession of only marijuana after the fact. It also includes four police officers who were killed during the raids, intentionally or…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

16 people indicted in massive home-grown marijuana operation across Denver area

/in , , , , , , /by

CENTENNIAL — Sixteen people have been indicted on charges they ran a massive home-grown marijuana operation across the Denver metro area that produced hundreds of pounds of pot each month for distribution across the country.

Authorities say over about three years, the ring used houses and properties in places like Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, Elbert County and Denver, to cultivate the cannabis and then make high-dollar deals to sell it in Illinois, Arkansas, Minnesota and Missouri.

An…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Drug busts underway in Denver metro area are aimed at growers shipping weed out of state

/in , , , , , , , /by

Local authorities are busting members of a suspected ring that has been growing and distributing pot out-of-state, a Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman in the Denver office said Thursday morning.

The DEA is assisting in the raids, which are an outgrowth of an investigation by the 18th Judicial District.

All warrants are under seal, the DEA spokesman said. The organization has allegedly been growing and shipping marijuana out-of-state in violation of state and federal laws.

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Sessions triples down on marijuana as dangerous drug, not opioid crisis solution

/in , , , , , , , /by

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday pledged aggressive criminal prosecution of drug dealers and gun-toting felons to combat what he described as a troubling rise in violent crime.

“I am determined that this country will not go backwards,” Sessions said as he addressed law enforcement officials in Richmond. “President Trump gave us a clear directive. It’s the policy of this administration to reduce crime in America, not preside over an increase in crime, but reduce…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Nederland marijuana business ordered to stop peddling investments in medical, recreational pot businesses

/in , , , , , , , , /by

State regulators have ordered a marijuana business owner from Nederland to stop soliciting investments in what they describe as unregistered securities for ventures in recreational and medical pot.

The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies says it has issued a cease and desist order for John W. Long Jr., of Nederland, along with his businesses, Green Farms Consulting and Green Farms Holdings.

“The presence of a new, popular and seemingly lucrative industry like marijuana can be very…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Weaving car in Grand Junction leads police to find 2 pounds of marijuana, magic mushrooms and an assault rifle

/in , , , , , , /by

A car weaving on Interstate 70 near Grand Junction led police to find more than 2 pounds of marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and two firearms, including an assault rifle in the vehicle on Tuesday night.

A Grand Junction police officer saw a red Chevrolet Impala approaching the Clifton exit on I-70 around 10 p.m. The vehicle was weaving over the fog line on the road, according to police. When the officer tried to stop the sedan, the driver failed to yield.

The vehicle was spotted again and…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Fort Collins man arrested after deck fire uncovers marijuana in garage

/in , , , , , , /by
Jason Heimann

Larimer County Sheriff’s Office

Jason Heimann

A Fort Collins man has been arrested after a fire at his home uncovered marijuana and marijuana concentrates stored in a garage, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

Jason David Heimann, 40, turned himself in at the Larimer County Jail on Saturday. He was booked on a charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 pounds of marijuana but not more than 50 pounds, among other charges, the sheriff’s office said in a news…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Jeff Sessions to Attorneys General: “We don’t need to be legalizing marijuana”

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reiterated his opposition to marijuana legalization while addressing a collection of the nation’s attorneys general on Tuesday.

In responding to a question about the war on drugs, Sessions noted a rise in heroin overdose deaths and those from the painkiller fentanyl. Stating that “crime does follow drugs,” he added that in the 1970s and ’80s, many lives were destroyed by drug abuse, adding that the drugs today are more powerful.

Read the full story at The…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Sessions: More violence around marijuana than ‘one would think’

/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Read the whole story at The Cannabist.

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Sean Spicer seemed to tie marijuana use to opioids. The evidence isn’t on his side.

/in , , , , , , , , /by

By Derek Hawkins, The Washington Post

The epidemic of opioid addiction in the United States has been well documented. A staggering 33,000 people died in 2015 from overdosing on prescription painkillers, heroin or similar drugs, on par with the number killed by firearms and in car accidents.

The epidemic is growing, but its general causes are not in dispute. Nearly all research on the issue shows that excessive and improper prescriptions are what’s causing more people to become addicted.

But…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Arvada man who used post office to distribute marijuana edibles sentenced to a year and a day

/in , , , , , , , , /by

An Arvada man who sent boxes of illegal marijuana edibles through the U.S. Postal Service to buyers in New York City, Maryland and Texas was sentenced Wednesday to a year and one day in federal prison.

Stephen Paul Anderson, a.k.a. “the healthnut,” was also sentenced to serve three years of community supervised release after his prison term.

“Oh boy, you thought this was going to be an easy way to make money, and it is going to cost you your freedom,” U.S. District Judge Christine…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Jefferson County man shot after marijuana deal goes bad

/in , , , , , , , /by

Deputies are searching for two suspects after one of them shot a man following a dispute over marijuana late Tuesday night in south Jefferson County, authorities say.

“This was a marijuana deal gone bad. I don’t know if they were haggling over price and it went south,” said Mark Techmeyer, spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators are searching for two men who were driving a car with Ohio license plates, one of whom had a lightning bolt shaved into his…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Smell of weed in Denver leads feds to bust of Nebraska marijuana network

/in , , , , , , , /by

An investigation of an alleged interstate crime network all started with an anonymous tip about a pungent odor emanating from a rental home in Westminster.

It was May 2, 2016, harvest time for a lucrative Nebraska-based illegal marijuana network with five pot grow houses and warehouses in Westminster, Dacono, Broomfield and Thornton.

On Thursday, federal prosecutors reaped their own harvest of greenery in Denver U.S. District court after seizing bound and loose stacks of U.S. currency…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Police say Lafayette house fire may have been sparked by hash-oil explosion

/in , , , , , , /by
Firefighters work to put out a structure fire on Modred Street in Lafayette.

Jeremy Papasso, Daily Camera

Firefighters work to put out a structure fire on Modred Street in Lafayette.

The fire at a Lafayette home on Wednesday afternoon that sent two men to a Denver hospital is believed to have been started by a hash-oil explosion, police said Thursday.

When emergency crews responded to the fire they found a “large marijuana cultivation inside of the home,” Lafayette police said and are now investigating the case as a possible hash-oil extraction lab…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

2 Cortez pot shop employees face embezzlement charges

/in , , , , /by

CORTEZ, Colo. — Two employees at a southwestern Colorado marijuana dispensary are facing felony charges for allegedly stealing from the store.

Police say Timber Higgins and Sheila Castor embezzled more than $12,000 from The Medicine Man marijuana dispensary in Cortez. They’re accused of ringing up phony military discounts of 15 percent, but charging the customers full price and pocketing the difference.

The owner of the dispensary tells the Cortez Journal that she noticed the increase in…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Richard Kirk, accused in Observatory Park slaying of his wife, pleads guilty to second-degree murder

/in , , , , , , , /by
Richard Kirk

Denver Police Department

Richard Kirk

A man who claimed that eating marijuana candy led him to shoot his wife to death in their Observatory Park home pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder, ending a years-long debate surrounding pot and its possible influence on the slaying.

Richard Kirk, 50, agreed to serve 25 to 30 years in prison as part of his plea, and to relinquish custody of his three children.

Kirk killed his terrified wife, Kristine, as she pleaded with a Denver 911…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Pueblo County deputies arrest three in connection with illegal, 230-plant marijuana grow

/in , , , , , , , /by

Pueblo County authorities arrested three people on Monday after a raid on what they say was an illegal, 230-plant marijuana grow at a home.

The county sheriff’s office found the grow after fielding a tip about the operation in the 32000 block of Daniel Road, just south of the Pueblo Memorial Airport. Detectives searched a home and two outbuildings on the property, finding the plants, which were in various stages of growth.

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Boulder DA named to pot advisory group for Trump administration

/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett has been selected to join a group of prosecutors from across the country who will help advise the Donald Trump administration on policies regarding marijuana.

The National District Attorney’s Association created a policy group featuring 14 district attorneys who will issue advice on possible law or policy changes regarding marijuana as more and more states legalize it.

Garnett said he is the only active prosecutor from Colorado in the group, but said…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Police: Burger King workers sold marijuana to customers who ordered “extra crispy” fries at N.H. drive-thru

/in , , , , , /by

EPPING, N.H. — Police say two employees at a New Hampshire Burger King have been arrested on drug charges after authorities were tipped off that drive-thru customers who asked for extra crispy fries got marijuana with their meal.

NH1 reports Epping Police Chief Mike Wallace said 20-year-old Garrett Norris was arrested Saturday after police conducted a sting operation. Also arrested was 19-year-old Meagan Dearborn, the shift manager.

Wallace said drive-thru buyers would ask for “Nasty…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Three arrested as suspects in Eagle County illegal marijuana ring

/in , , , , , /by

Three people have been arrested in Eagle County as suspects in an interstate marijuana ring.

Hunter Furrow, 29, Nevada Furrow, 37, and Timothy Ezell, 42, all of the Eagle/Vail area were arrested Wednesday when drug task force members served search warrants, according to an Eagle County sheriff’s news release.

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Colorado moves to crack down on black-market pot ads online

/in , , , , , /by

By Kirsten Wyatt, The Associated Press

DENVER — Weed on Craigslist? It is widely for sale in Colorado, but legislation moving through the state Legislature aims to crack down on those who sell marijuana illegally using online ads.

A bill approved unanimously by the state Senate on Monday would make it a misdemeanor to advertise pot if the person does not have a license to sell the drug.

It’s already a crime to sell pot without a license in Colorado, but it’s not illegal to place an…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Cops can’t be forced to return marijuana in failed drug cases, Colorado Supreme Court says

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday ruled that law enforcement officers cannot be forced to return marijuana to defendants even after they are acquitted of pot crimes because doing so would force officers to be marijuana “distributors” and violate federal law.

The ruling overturns a decision by the Colorado Court of Appeals, which ruled that police officers must return marijuana to defendants who win court decisions related to illegal marijuana possession in Colorado.

Forcing Colorado…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

DEA, El Paso County authorities serve warrants targeting illegal indoor marijuana grows

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Federal agents teamed up with authorities in El Paso County on Monday morning to serve several warrants and make arrests in connection with an out-of-state organization suspected of illegally growing marijuana east of Colorado Springs.

Officials say the pot was being grown indoors in violation of Colorado and federal laws.

Jim Gothe, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Denver, said he could not provide details in the cases because they are under seal. He added that an…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Man who flew through the air in Eagle County hash oil explosion pleads guilty to arson, DA says

/in , , , , , , /by
Ryne Wilhelmi

Provided by 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office

Ryne Wilhelmi

A 26-year-old man who was tossed into the air by a hash oil explosion he caused in 2015 pleaded guilty this week to fourth-degree arson, a felony charge, and faces up to six years in prison.

Ryne Wilhelmi on Monday admitted causing the the April 29, 2015, explosion.

Wilhelmi was a renting an Eagle County home when he caused a flash fire and explosion while processing marijuana into concentrate, according to the 5th Judicial…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Jeff Sessions vague about marijuana strategy at AG hearing

/in , , , , , , , /by

Under U.S. law, marijuana possession and distribution is illegal, but just how Sen. Jeff Sessions would enforce that law as the nation’s attorney general was not immediately clear Tuesday when the topic was broached in his Senate confirmation hearing.

“I won’t commit to never enforcing federal law,” Sessions said in response to Sen. Patrick Leahy’s question about conflicting federal and state marijuana laws, adding: “But absolutely, it’s a problem of resources for the…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Five teens arrested in connection with dispensary burglaries in Boulder County

/in , , , , , /by

Five teens ranging in age from 14 to 17 have been arrested in connection with a series of marijuana dispensary burglaries in Boulder County and are also suspected to have burglarized other dispensaries across the state.

The five teens are facing one count of marijuana distribution, five counts of second-degree burglary, attempted burglary, two counts of theft, two counts of criminal mischief, one count of aggravated motor vehicle theft, possession of a handgun by a juvenile and…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Colorado researchers receive $2.35M to study marijuana use on driving, other impacts of legalization

/in , , , , , , , , /by

In a groundbreaking effort to better understand what, exactly, happened after voters legalized recreational marijuana in Colorado, the state’s Health Department on Tuesday announced $2.35 million in grants to researchers who will help answer that question.

Most of the money — $1.68 million — will go toward two studies that look at the impacts of marijuana use on driving. The first will compare driving impairment for heavy marijuana consumers versus occasional consumers. The…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Colorado deputy finds 180 pounds of marijuana mixed in with tractor-trailer’s onion load

/in , , , , , , , /by

A sheriff’s deputy in southeastern Colorado found just over 180 pounds of marijuana mixed in among a load of onions being hauled by a tractor-trailer last week.

Sam Zordel, sheriff of Prowers County, said the discovery was made Dec. 1 on U.S. 287 near the Gobblers Knob Rest Area, some 20 miles south of Lamar.

The deputy pulled over the truck after its driver allegedly stayed in the highway’s passing lane. Zordel said the tractor-trailer was headed from Brighton to Naples, Fla….

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

No charges for man in killing of 17-year-old boy during Adams County marijuana burglary

/in , , , , , , /by
Levi Sisneros

Provided by Adams County Sheriff’s Office

Levi Sisneros

Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a man who shot and killed a 17-year-old boy during a September marijuana burglary at an Adams County home, saying that they cannot disprove the shooter was acting in self defense.

Levi Sisneros, 33, was initially arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in the Sept. 1 shooting near the intersection of 76th Avenue and Pecos Street. Alfredo Chavez died after being shot in the…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Westminster police seek 16-year-old boy in shooting during botched pot robbery

/in , , , , , , /by

Police in Westminster are searching for a 16-year-old boy who allegedly shot a man during a botched marijuana robbery Saturday afternoon.

Investigators say the shooting happened about 1:45 p.m. on the 5700 block of 92nd Avenue in the parking lot of the Madison Hill townhomes complex.

The 19-year-old victim told police he had arranged to sell marijuana to the 16-year-old. When the victim got to the parking lot, the 16-year-old and a man got into his vehicle.

“The 16-year-old suspect…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Study: More people arrested for marijuana than all violent crimes combined, urges drug use decriminalization

/in , , , /by

Drug possession lands someone in handcuffs every 25 seconds in the United States, and despite the scales tipping in favor of marijuana legalization, pot arrests outnumber those for violent crimes, according to a new report by two human rights organizations.

Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday issued a report documenting the “human toll” of making drug possession and use criminal offenses in America. In conjunction with the release of “Every 25…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Legal pot could upend years of drug smuggling in Arizona

/in , , , , , /by

NOGALES, Ariz. — The hills on the Arizona border with Mexico are steep and bumpy as Paul Estrada drives along the fence, patrolling for drug and human smugglers.

Passing traffic signs pocked with bullet holes, the sheriff’s deputy points at parts of the wall that are but a few feet tall and laments how easy it is to get drugs into Arizona. In a mere month, Estrada and his colleagues on the border could confront a new challenge: legal marijuana.

Five states will vote Nov. 8 on whether…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Lawmakers want to defund DEA’s marijuana eradication program

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post

In 2015, the Drug Enforcement Administration gave $20,000 to the state of New Hampshire to eradicate marijuana plants, according to federal documents. But the Granite State’s law enforcement agencies didn’t have much luck finding any weed to pull that year – their efforts uncovered a single outdoor grow site with a grand total of 27 plants.

Do the math, and U.S. taxpayers paid $740.74 for each pot plant uprooted in New Hampshire that…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Authorities: Man grew pot plants at Vermont cemetery

/in , , , , , , , /by

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — A 23-year-old man has been charged with growing more than 40 marijuana plants in a Vermont cemetery.

The Rutland Herald (http://bit.ly/2dXtY7d ) reports that Adam Mahoney pleaded not guilty Monday in Rutland to a felony marijuana cultivation charge.

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Marijuana really can be deadly – when encountering police officers

/in , , , , , /by

Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post

New details released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department last weekend indicated that suspected marijuana use was a key factor in police officers’ decision to approach Keith Lamont Scott in a confrontation that turned fatal.

Plainclothes officers were sitting in an unmarked car waiting to serve a warrant in an unrelated case when Scott’s car pulled in nearby, according to a police summary of the incident. The officers say they saw…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Denver police need more room, money to store seized marijuana since legalization

/in , , , /by

Since the legalization of recreational marijuana, the Denver Police Department has struggled to stash the weed its narcotics officers confiscate.

Now, the department is asking Denver City Council to approve $125,116 in the 2017 budget so its property bureau can handle the thousands of pounds of marijuana that comes through its doors each year.

“We’re no longer getting small amounts like we used to,” said Lt. Cliff Carney, who manages the department’s evidence section. “Instead…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Former Denver cop faces felony drug charges for illegal marijuana operation

/in , , , , , , , /by
Hubert “Marty” Vanover

Denver District Attorney’s Office

Hubert “Marty” Vanover

A former Denver Police Department narcotics sergeant has been charged with multiple drug-related felonies in connection with an illegal marijuana operation.

Hubert “Marty” Vanover, 53, was charged with possession with intent to manufacture or distribute marijuana or marijuana concentrate, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of marijuana or marijuana concentrate, according to a news release from…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Suspects tried to destroy evidence at massive illegal Garfield County pot grow, warrant says

/in , , , , , , , /by
Property searched in Garfield County

Federal search warrant

Property searched in Garfield County

When law enforcement officers last week closed in on a massive suspected illegal marijuana grow in Garfield County, they found people trying to destroy evidence at the site off Interstate 70, according to a federal search warrant.

Others were fleeing the area as officers closed in, only to find thousands of plants growing outdoors behind a tall green fence, the document says.

The warrant, reviewed Wednesday by The Denver Post,…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Feds raid homes across southeast Colorado as part of investigation into marijuana trafficking organization

/in , , , , , , , /by

Federal agents and local law enforcement simultaneously raided homes across southeast Colorado on Wednesday as part of efforts to break up a major organization growing marijuana for distribution and sale out of state.

A Drug Enforcement Administration official said the agency was working with sheriff’s offices in El Paso, Pueblo, Crowley, Bent and Otero counties on some “big operations” that are linked to one encompassing investigation. Ten of 12 properties searched were rentals,…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Man gets probation in alleged far-flung illegal marijuana enterprise

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

A man once facing the possibility of spending decades in a federal prison after he was tied to an international marijuana-trafficking operation was instead sentenced Tuesday to probation in federal court after felony charges against him were dismissed.

As a condition of probation, U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn also sentenced Luis Fernand Uribe to 45 days in jail. The probationary deal was offered after the defendant’s original felony charges were dismissed and he pleaded guilty…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …

Marijuana arrests fall to lowest level since 1996

/in , , , , /by

By Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post

Arrests for simple marijuana possession in the United States fell to nearly a two-decade low last year, according to new statistics released Monday by the FBI.

The number of arrests for marijuana possession in 2015 — 574,641 — is the lowest number since 1996. It represents a 7 percent year-over-year drop, and roughly a 25 percent drop from the peak of close to 800,000 marijuana possession arrests in 2007.

The FBI data suggest that, in…

CONTINUE READING: Click Here to Continue Reading Article …