California, Del Norte

[palmspringsbum]

Business trip goes awry

Written by Adam Madison, The Triplicate February 25, 2009 10:04 am

<span class=postbigbold>Men caught with pot may have ties to dispensaries</span>

A broken headlight landed two men in the Del Norte County Jail on Monday evening after about 4 and a half pounds of marijuana were found in their vehicle during a search, authorities said.

The men, who also were carrying piles of $100 bills and medical-marijuana recommendation forms, are suspected of involvement with two Los Angeles-area marijuana dispensaries, according to the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office.

“It looks like they were buying Northern California marijuana for a dispensary down south,” sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Morris said Tuesday.

Daniel Michael Sosa, 26, of Los Angeles, and Max Pascal Cohen, 25, of Roslyn, N.Y., were arrested on suspicion of transportation of marijuana, possession of the drug for sale, and conspiracy.

Sosa was out on $25,000 bail by Tuesday afternoon after “he used his only phone call to call his lawyer,” said Morris.

“ We were called out last night to assist California Highway Patrol, who had made a car stop for a broken headlight,” he said.

“The CHP officer smelled it as he approached the car,” Morris said.

When they searched the four-door Hyundai sedan, officers located $7,000 in $100 bills in a satchel in the back seat and more than 4.5 pounds of processed marijuana in the trunk.

“They had enough pot to make several joints inside the car underneath their seats,” Morris said. “They also had GPS units and cell phones.”

The pot was separated into individually wrapped baggies that had “B.G.” and “Q.P.” written on them in black ink.

Morris said he was unsure what the letters stood for.

The sergeant said Sosa had a Prop. 215 medical marijuana card, but that it was not valid in Del Norte County, only in the Los Angeles area.

“The card allows you a defense in court — it’s not a permission slip to grow marijuana or to transport it,” he said.

Morris said Sosa was in the passenger seat and the car was registered to him, while Cohen was driving.

Officers also “located more than 35 medical recommendations,” said Morris.

The sergeant said his narcotics officers “are looking at them for improprieties that might be there.”

He said as soon as Sosa was read his rights, he stopped speaking with officers.

“They’re not talking, so I can’t get anymore about it,” said Morris.

The sergeant said evidence in the car, including business cards for a Los Angeles-area marijuana dispensary, showed that Sosa may be the owner.

“They had a business card that had connections to a dispensary down south,” said Morris.

The sergeant said Cohen may have had ties to another dispensary in La Brea.

“We don’t believe in dispensaries—that’s just a way to market and sell marijuana,” said Morris, who declined to provide the names of the dispensaries.

Morris said before the pair stopped taking, he was able to glean “they were headed back to Los Angeles.”

As of Tuesday evening, Cohen was still in custody with bail set at $25,000.