400 pounds of marijuana, $108K seized in I-70 stop
A California couple is facing felony charges after a Christmas Eve traffic stop on Interstate 70 discovered 417 pounds of marijuana and $108,560 in cash in their possession.
Nicholas David Rhodes, 32, Stockton, Calif., and Julia Anne Kasprick, 33, Lockeford, Calif., are facing identical charges of dealing marijuana of at least 10 pounds and conspiracy to deal marijuana of at least 10 pounds.
Both are Level 5 felony counts punishable by 1-6 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. They also face a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession.
The couple’s motorhome was stopped for a traffic violation at 2:20 p.m. Dec. 24 along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the Cloverdale exit.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed Jan. 12 in Putnam Superior Court, Rhodes said he and his fiancée were traveling from California to Indianapolis to visit family for the holiday.
State Police reported in court documents that an “overwhelming odor of fresh marijuana” could be detected coming from the interior of the vehicle.
Rhodes admitted to consuming marijuana in the motorhome, the probable cause affidavit notes. He retrieved two plastic bags containing loose marijuana and THC-infused edibles from the motorhome and provided police an expired medical cannabis card.
Moments later, Sgt. Anthony Brown of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and his drug dog arrived on the scene, performing a free-air sniff around the motorhome with the narcotics detention canine providing a positive alert to the odor of drugs.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 417 pounds of cannabis products and $108,560 in cash from the suspected sale and distribution of bulk marijuana products.
According to websites on the Internet, the street value of an ounce of high-quality marijuana in the United States averages $320. That means the 417-pound haul equates to $2.135 million, depending on quality.
The marijuana confiscated was described as:
• Approximately 205 pounds of fresh marijuana in trash bags and duffel bags.
• Approximately 13 pounds of fresh marijuana in clear plastic bags.
• Approximately 185 pounds of THC-infused cannabis edibles in black trash bags.
• Approximately 14 pounds of cannabis wax resin in clear plastic bags.
Although marijuana is legal in the suspects’ home state of California, it is not legal in Indiana and is still federally illegal, Putnam County Prosecutor Timothy Bookwalter said.
“And while it’s legal in California, it isn’t legal in California to have 400 pounds,” the prosecutor added.
With Interstate 70 providing an east-west corridor between the West Coast states and Colorado, where marijuana is legal and an East Coast area of demand, a number of vehicles have been stopped along the interstate in recent months.
Authorities are not so concerned with those traveling with small quantities for recreational use as they are those with amounts they intend to distribute.
“The problem we have,” Bookwalter said, “is when someone’s coming down the road with 100 or 200 pounds, or in this case 400 pounds of the stuff.”
Authorities seized the marijuana and cash pending further investigation.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Rhodes and Kasprick, Bookwalter said.