The decision to take an early-morning drive with cannabis debris clearly visible inside his vehicle turned out to be a bad one for a 20-year-old California man with a weed-sounding moniker.This past Saturday proved anything but relaxing for Kody Idica — just one letter shy of Indica, a cannabis variety long associated with sedating effects — when police stopped his vehicle at about 3:30 a.m. in Redwood Valley, Calif.
That find prompted a search of the vehicle, where the officer “found other evidence associated with the transportation and sale of illicit drugs.”
Recreational cannabis is legal in California, with adults 21 and older able to buy, possess and consume up to 28.5 grams of weed in their private residence or an establishment that has been licensed for consumption, FindLaw reports. The drug can not be consumed, whatever the method used, when a vehicle is in motion, adds Chambers Law Firm.
Under the Controlled Substance Act, first offenders for possessing cocaine could face imprisonment for as long as a year and a fine ranging from US$1,000 ($1,260) and US$100,000 ($126,000). Penalties increase with second or third convictions, according to McElfresh Law Inc.
Under the Controlled Substance Act, first offenders for possessing cocaine could face imprisonment for as long as a year and a fine ranging from US$1,000 ($1,260) and US$100,000 ($126,000)
If evidence is found that the person intended to sell or distribute the cocaine, he or she could “face charges under California Health and Safety Code 11351 HS, which provides a punishment of two to four years in prison and a maximum fine of US$20,000 ($25,200),” the information adds.
Taken into custody, Idica was later charged with possession of a controlled substance for sale and transportation/sales of an organic drug. He was being held in lieu of US$25,000 ($31,500).
The California man is hardly the only driver to be busted after police noticed weed debris. Earlier this year in Florida, police allege a driver tried to get rid of his illegal weed by eating it, a suspicion they quickly came to after seeing leafy, green remnants around the mouth of the man, whose tongue was also green.
And an Ohio driver who also opted to scarf down his weed when stopped by the police has a state trooper — and the Heimlich manoeuvre he performed — to thank after the driver began choking.
Adult-use cannabis remains illegal in both Florida and Ohio, although there have been recent bids in the latter state to get recreational weed on the books.
Estimated to be worth US$500,000 ($630,000), the driver now faces several drug charges.
Sometimes, however, drivers don’t even bother to try to hide their illegal bounty.
Just last week, a Nebraska man was busted after police saw a THC wax container on the center console of his vehicle. That prompted a search that resulted in the seizure of 156 pounds (70.8 kilograms) of raw marijuana, 68 pounds (30.8 kg) of THC concentrate and 23 pounds (10.4 kg) of THC wax concentrate, the Seward County Sheriff’s Office reports.
Estimated to be worth US$500,000 ($630,000), the driver now faces a handful of drug charges.