Jacob Bell
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Two of three men indicted on 25 charges related to growing and selling marijuana in Helena and Great Falls have had 24 of the counts dropped in exchange for them pleading guilty to one charge.
On Tuesday, Jesse Leland, 28, of Helena, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Montana to manufacturing marijuana. Last week, Joshua Schultz, 38, also of Helena pleaded guilty to distribution of marijuana. The third defendant, Jason Burns, 38, has not changed his plea but the Aug. 8 trial date for the trio was canceled.
Even though the vast majority of the charges were dropped, Schultz and Leland still face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and could be sentenced to 40 years, a $2 million fine and at least four years of supervision. The men had faced similar penalties if convicted of the charges, although the fine could have been up to $5 million.
They remain released from custody until sentencing in December.
According to court documents, Schultz sold marijuana through his business, Natural Medicine of Great Falls as well as in Helena; Burns and Leland ran Queen City Caregivers in Helena, which also sold marijuana, purportedly for medicinal purposes. Their businesses were among about 25 in Montana that were raided by federal agents in March and April, who seized marijuana plants and products, as well as cash and in some cases, weapons and vehicles.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that during July 2010, law enforcement officers counted more than 750 marijuana plants grown by Leland and his co-defendants at a site north of Helena. However, when they executed the search warrant on March 14, 2011, Leland didn't have any live marijuana plants, although they did remove marijuana and marijuana products.
Schultz also purchased and resold over 100 kilograms of marijuana, according to an analysis of his bank records.
At the time of the raids, marijuana "caregivers" were operating under a state ballot initiative approved by Montana voters in 2004 that allowed for medical marijuana use, and more than 30,000 residents held cards that allowed them to legally possess the drug. However, fears that youth were abusing the measure prompted the legislature to curtail the initiative; that move currently is being litigated.
While marijuana is considered a Schedule I controlled substance by the federal government, a memo by former Deputy Attorney General David Ogden seemed to imply that the Department of Justice had decided that prosecuting the medical marijuana industry was a low priority, and the number of large marijuana nurseries and distribution organizations exploded in Montana.
However, the so-called Ogden memo went on to state that "prosecution of commercial enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement priority of the Department," which many say led to the Montana raids.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: helenair.com
Author: Eve Byron
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: helenair.com
Website: 2 Montana cannabis growers enter plea deal
On Tuesday, Jesse Leland, 28, of Helena, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Montana to manufacturing marijuana. Last week, Joshua Schultz, 38, also of Helena pleaded guilty to distribution of marijuana. The third defendant, Jason Burns, 38, has not changed his plea but the Aug. 8 trial date for the trio was canceled.
Even though the vast majority of the charges were dropped, Schultz and Leland still face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and could be sentenced to 40 years, a $2 million fine and at least four years of supervision. The men had faced similar penalties if convicted of the charges, although the fine could have been up to $5 million.
They remain released from custody until sentencing in December.
According to court documents, Schultz sold marijuana through his business, Natural Medicine of Great Falls as well as in Helena; Burns and Leland ran Queen City Caregivers in Helena, which also sold marijuana, purportedly for medicinal purposes. Their businesses were among about 25 in Montana that were raided by federal agents in March and April, who seized marijuana plants and products, as well as cash and in some cases, weapons and vehicles.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that during July 2010, law enforcement officers counted more than 750 marijuana plants grown by Leland and his co-defendants at a site north of Helena. However, when they executed the search warrant on March 14, 2011, Leland didn't have any live marijuana plants, although they did remove marijuana and marijuana products.
Schultz also purchased and resold over 100 kilograms of marijuana, according to an analysis of his bank records.
At the time of the raids, marijuana "caregivers" were operating under a state ballot initiative approved by Montana voters in 2004 that allowed for medical marijuana use, and more than 30,000 residents held cards that allowed them to legally possess the drug. However, fears that youth were abusing the measure prompted the legislature to curtail the initiative; that move currently is being litigated.
While marijuana is considered a Schedule I controlled substance by the federal government, a memo by former Deputy Attorney General David Ogden seemed to imply that the Department of Justice had decided that prosecuting the medical marijuana industry was a low priority, and the number of large marijuana nurseries and distribution organizations exploded in Montana.
However, the so-called Ogden memo went on to state that "prosecution of commercial enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement priority of the Department," which many say led to the Montana raids.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: helenair.com
Author: Eve Byron
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: helenair.com
Website: 2 Montana cannabis growers enter plea deal
