Five people were arrested and police confiscated more than $200,000 worth of marijuana after a month-long investigation in Orange County. According to a news report in The Daily Pilot, a 46-year-old San Clemente man was arrested in Newport Beach after he was found with 24 pounds of “high-grade” marijuana. On the same day, Newport police found a complex growing operation inside a home in Laguna Niguel from which they seized 300 marijuana plants, four pounds of the drug, and cash. A 24-year-old Laguna Niguel man was arrested at the home. Similar arrests were also made in Lake Forest and Huntington Beach. All of the suspects face possession of marijuana, illegal cultivation, and sale charges.
Drug crimes can be charged as misdemeanors or felonies. In marijuana cases, possession for personal use will usually be charged as a misdemeanor. But when large-scale operations are discovered or large quantities of drugs are confiscated, there is the issue of “intent to sell” the drugs. In cases where large quantities of drugs are involved, felony charges are likely for drug trafficking in California.
Under California law, marijuana can be used for medical purposes with a doctor’s prescription. However, a dichotomy between state law, which allows use of marijuana for medical purposes, and federal law, which lists marijuana as a controlled substance, has made enforcement of these laws challenging in California.
If you or a loved one has been arrested on suspicion of possession or possession for sale charges, please contact the experienced Orange County drug crime defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeremy Goldman. Please call us today at (800) 349-1619 to find out how we can help you defend these serious drug crime charges.
