SAN DIEGO: Man pleads guilty in medical marijuana case
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/f0edf910-eaab-5ac5-8bfa-a948f4013ce5.html
SAN DIEGO ---- A San Diego man who admitted renting a business where he grew and distributed marijuana and laundered drug proceeds pleaded guilty Thursday to three federal charges.
The arrest of Joseph Nunes, following the execution of a search warrant at the business called "Green Kross Collective" on Mission Boulevard, came during a raid of 14 medical marijuana dispensaries throughout San Diego County on Sept. 9.
Nunes was one of two men who faced federal drug charges after the day of raids on dispensaries. The second man, James Stacy of Vista, is still awaiting trial. The cases of the two men are unrelated to each other.
Nunes pleaded guilty to growing marijuana plants, renting, using and maintaining two drug-related premises, and money laundering. He will be sentenced March 22.
Now this is what Mr. Nunes has to say about it via ASA...
I don't want to comment on the details of the case because I haven't been
sentenced yet. I'll be more than happy to lay out many of the details people
have no clue about after my sentencing on 3/22/10. If I'm in prison I will
still comment. What I will say is that I plead guilty to manufacture of 25
marijuana plants (3" tall clones found in the cooperative), money laundering
(using cooperative revenue to pay cooperative bills), and maintaining a drug
premises (the cooperative itself). This guilty plea comes as a result of not
being able to use a medical marijuana defense in federal court. My case was
federal because of an additional 89 clones (3" tall marijuana plants) found
in the back of someone's car outside another cooperative I was involved with
during the raid. Those 89 plants combined with the 25 found inside the
cooperative I was arrested in exceeded the federal 5-year minimum mandatory
threshold of 99 plants. My name was on the lease of both cooperatives. I am
not being charged for the cultivation of the additional 89 plants now but
nevertheless my case stayed federal. Both cooperatives were incorporated
mutual benefit non-profit organizations in compliance with state law.