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Prosecutor says man took pride in indoor marijuana production
William Taylor | 2theadvocate.com | 7/26/2005

Juan Lopez showed pride in his indoor marijuana farm, even giving investigators a tour when they showed up to arrest him in February, a federal prosecutor said Monday.

"He said, 'You've got the right guy,' " Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Ennis told the jury during Lopez' drug trial.

Ennis described for jurors the elaborate hydroponics operation:

Valves and piping kept the plants watered.

grow lights and reflective wall covering bathed the marijuana in light.

Moth balls cleaned the air to keep the smell from escaping the Prairieville house that hid the pot cultivation.

A direct connection to the power line bypassed the meter, allowing stolen electricity to power the garden.

Lopez, 47, 39136 Germany Road in Prairieville, had spent $15,000 and three months building the farm of 6-foot-high plants and told investigators he found it "inspirational" to go look at it, Ennis said.

Even after showing investigators how to dismantle it, Lopez said it should be a "crime" for them to do so, Ennis said.

Lopez is accused of manufacturing and possessing more than 100 marijuana plants with the intent to distribute.

His attorney, Mario Gaudamud, pledged to "challenge vigorously" those accusations.

"We disagree with the government's contention that there were over 100 plants," Gaudamud said.

"We disagree with the government's contention that he was possessing with the intent to distribute," the lawyer added.

Under federal law, marijuana possession is only a misdemeanor with a maximum prison sentence of one year.

Manufacturing it is a felony as is possessing with intent to distribute. Both carry potential prison sentences of up to 20 years.

The penalty is enhanced if the number of plants is at least 100. In that case, the minimum penalty is 5 years in prison with a maximum sentence of 40 years.

Ennis told jurors that Lopez planned to sell the marijuana locally and in Florida.

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killer12382

What a knucklehead. He needs to be in jail. He'll be safer there, with people watching over him.

Raised Fist

I think he realized he was screwed no matter what, so he showed pride in his creation.

Its a shame he got caught, a 15,000 dollar hydro system sounds sweet.

Blaster

I think that you need to re-evaluate your thoughts on the legal statis of MJ. NO-ONE should ever go to prison for growing MJ. Even if it were over 100 acres.

troublemaker_42

I disagree wholeheartedly. I've been told to always take pride in a job well done, and thats all this person was doing. What shame is there in being proud of something you toiled and labored on, something that obviously took a giant chunk of your time to create? Just because it is illegal doesn't mean he should have cowered in the corner crying about it. he was proud of his work, whether it was legal or not. Granted, he didn't leave much room for his defense attorney to help him out much, but I see no reason why you feel he is a knucklehead simply because he was proud of what he created. remember, without "knuckleheads" like him, many of us who don't grow personally would either not have any pot to smoke, or be smoking a much inferior product. Would you ratehr he be ashmaed and apologize to the officers for growing the plants we all know and love? What shame SHOULD be attached to the cultivation of one of the most useful plants on the planet?

 

Buzzby

From a practical (i.e. less punishment) point of view, it's always better to show remorse than to express pride in your criminal enterprise. Judges have a lot of leeway in sentencing. If you proudly stand behind the crime you committed you're going to get beat down.

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theherbalist

I would guess he would sell a little, but a grow-op of that quality sounds like personal use to me. I know if I spent that much to produce great herb, i would only smoke it with my closest friends. I figure most producers with intent to sell, will field grow or setup **** growrooms. Lower quality but higher yeild

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greypoe

I admire him, this was his hobby, and he stood behind it 100%.
This is the hobby I wish to persue, its what fuels my Activism. Someday I want to have a beautiful garden. I want to walk down the street and see cannabis plants growing in yards all over the neighborhood.

Jake

Hobby? you're sure? When you're growing that much, I'm pretty sure it should be classified as a job...

troublemaker_42

I'm sorry, but I don't knpow of anyone that grows around a 100 plants for "personal use". Considering each plant probably grows at a minimum of 1 oz, we're looking at 6.25 lbs, and thats givng a BIG margin of error, since a 6 ft plant probably produces SEVERAL ozs per plant, possibly even a lb or more. At that rate, its hard to argue that he planned on smoking it all himself.....even at a rate of a half oz a day, he'd have over a 200 day supply, and thats using the 6.25 lb figure, which is EXTRMEMELY conservative, using the oz per plant idea......sorry, but it sounds like a dedicated PROFESSIONAL aka COMMERCIAl op to me.