Summary: Nebraska police found 60 lbs. of marijuana in an elderly couple’s truck on Tuesday.
Ho, ho… holy moly that’s a lot of marijuana!
On Tuesday, York County sheriff’s deputies discovered an unconventional Mr. and Mrs. Clause. While pulling over a truck during a traffic stop in Nebraska, the police discovered 60 lbs. worth of green stuff that wasn’t mistletoe. The couple told police that they were transporting “Christmas presents.”
The sheriff’s deputies told the York News-Times that they pulled over a pickup when it drove over the center line and the driver failed to signal. During the traffic stop, the deputies smelled raw marijuana and asked the driver about the odor.
After Patrick Jiron, 80, admitted to having marijuana, the deputies performed a search with the help of a drug canine. The police found 60 lbs. of marijuana as well as containers of concentrated THC, the chemical in marijuana that gets people high.
“They said the marijuana was for Christmas presents,” Lt. Paul Vrbka told the York News-Times.
Sheriff’s deputies took in Patrick and his wife, Barbara Jiron, where they face felony counts of possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp. The elderly couple were driving from northern California to Boston and Vermont when they were stopped by the Nebraska sheriff’s department.
According to The Washington Post, marijuana is not legal in the state of Nebraska.
“As the use of marijuana has been legalized in some states, including our neighbor Colorado, we have been able to observe the impact the legalization of marijuana has had not only in their state, but as well as our own. Legalization of marijuana for any purpose has proven to be a risky proposition because the controls placed on its use in other states have fallen short,” Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts said in 2015.
The department estimated the pounds of green were worth over $300,000. If the Jirons really did plan on just giving the pot away for Christmas cheer, there’s going to be a lot of grumpy people in New England this year.
Asked by the Washington Post if the couple were still in jail, the sheriff’s department mysteriously said “they were not here” but did not provide a detailed explanation.
The stash recovered from the Jiron’s pickup truck. Photo courtesy of New-Times.
- Does marijuana help with problems in the bedroom?
- Marijuana May Be Legal in Some States but Still Not Federally
- Study Finds Link in Marijuana Shops to Increased Property Crime
- Study Links Legalized Marijuana and Car Crashes