Elderly couple caught with over C$400K worth of pot they claim was ‘for Christmas presents’

An 80-year-old man and a 70-year old woman were arrested in Nebraska for carrying over 60 pounds (approximately 27 kilos) of marijuana in their truck.

The York News-Times reports the couple were arrested Tuesday by the York County Sheriff’s Department after they were stopped for a traffic violation on Interstate 80 near the town of Bradshaw. Patrick Jiron, 80, and Barbara Jiron, 70, said they were driving from California to Vermont.

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According to York County officials, the Jirons claimed they intended to give the bags of marijuana to family and friends for Christmas this year.

“They said the marijuana was for Christmas presents,” Lt. Paul Vrbka told the York News-Times on Saturday. Sheriff deputies in York County, Neb. estimated the value of the pot at over US$336,000 (approximately C$427,000).

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NPR reports that the county’s canine unit searched the couple’s Toyota Tacoma and found the bags of weed under the pickup topper, as well as several containers of concentrated THC (the chemical compound found in cannabis that results in a high).

Nebraska law requires marijuana dealers to purchase drug tax stamps from the Department of Revenue to prove that the state’s drug tax has been fulfilled. The couple now face felony charges of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, and no drug stamp.

In Nebraska, the tax on marijuana is $10 per ounce, which means that the Jirons would have owed about US$9,600 in taxes.

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The couple was being held in York County jail, but Barbara was later released “due to some medical issues,” reports the York News-Times.  Her husband Patrick was released shortly after he posted 10 per cent of his US$100,000 bond.