A 38-year-old Hollister man was arrested Thursday after drug
agents found he was growing more marijuana than the allotted amount
under his medical license.
A 38-year-old Hollister man was arrested Thursday after drug agents found he was growing more marijuana than the allotted amount under his medical license.
Members of the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team and San Benito County Probation Department received a complaint that the man was living in a home in the first block of Hawkins Street without the owners’ permission, UNET Cmdr. Mark Colla said. The convicted felon was arrested at 11am Thursday on charges of receiving stolen property, possession of an illegal weapon, cultivation of marijuana and being a felon in possession of a firearm, all felonies, according to the San Benito County Jail.
After searching the home – for which authorities had received permission from the owners – agents found nine six-foot, mature marijuana plants growing in the backyard, and 18 immature plants and a pistol-grip shotgun with ammunition inside the house, Colla said.
“Even though (he) has a medical license, he was out of compliance,” Colla said.
Through the medical marijuana license, a holder is allowed up to six mature and 12 immature plants, Colla said.
Authorities believe the shotgun found inside the home might have been stolen, the commander said.
It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. If a shotgun is modified with a pistol-grip and short barrel, it is illegal because it could be easily concealed. The commander said the shotgun might have been illegally modified.
“We’re checking into that because it looks like the barrel may be just short of 18 inches,” Colla said.
Colla said finding medical marijuana license holders out of compliance is a frequent problem.
“I think about 80 percent of the cultivation cases – and that’s a conservative number – we find people are out of compliance,” Colla said.
Agents have found only two people this year in compliance of medical marijuana laws during basic inspections, Colla said.
“The use of medical marijuana is for very serious illnesses,” Colla said.
