Black Market Marijuana Case–From Mendocino to Kansas

Emerald Triangle buds probably destined for the black market (stock photo by Kym Kemp.)

A story has been gripping two very different communities–our neighboring county, Mendocino, and the midwestern counties of Lawrence Douglas and Johnson, Kansas.  The Lawrence Journal-World is putting out a solid series that lays out the parts of puzzle clearly detailing how marijuana is alleged to have moved between to coast and the broad plains of the sunflower state.

The first day lays out how law enforcement first became aware of the alleged marijuana smuggling ring. According to the article,

A routine domestic disturbance call on a summer night in 2008 set in motion the biggest drug bust in Lawrence history.

Faced with a charge of illegally possessing a firearm, an ex-con involved in the domestic case began talking to investigators about a drug dealer he worked for.

Four years later, on the morning of June 13, 2012, SWAT-style police units swarmed the city, grabbing dozens of people from their homes and businesses and from off the street. Within hours, it was clear the city was witnessing the crescendo of a major federal drug investigation.

The second day of the series peers into the alleged Mendocino connection. The article explains,

[t]hrough a sophisticated web of drug distribution involving fictitious businesses and a steady stream of Lawrence-area drug couriers, marijuana barrelled east to the Lawrence area, while millions in cash headed west to California, according to court documents.

The paper plans a four part series.  It will be interesting to see the alleged connections being explained.