A 75-year-old man in New Zealand was recently discovered to have been growing 250 cannabis plants by local law enforcement.

The Central District Organised Crime Unit, which worked with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, received a warrant to investigate an isolated part of the Whanganui River. According to Whanganui Chronicle, the owner of the property had previously submitted an application to grow hemp in that region.

The investigation is part of an ongoing project called “Operation Emerald” that includes law enforcement targeting illegal large-scale cultivation of drugs in New Zealand. This particular location required traversing an isolated area near the small town of Raetihi and the Whanganui River, but not a destination where vehicles can be driven. Due to the remote location, the Air Force dropped officers in on March 26 to investigate.

Detective Inspector Paul Baskett told the news outlet that the targeted illegal cultivation site previously owned a license to grow hemp, but it had expired in 2021. “The team were able to establish good cause to suspect that cannabis was being grown up there in large tunnel houses,” Baskett said. 

Police found 250 cannabis plants growing in “tunnel houses,” or greenhouses, alongside a shed containing dried cannabis as well, although reports do not specify if it was only dried cannabis flower, or an assortment of dried cannabis plant material.

Currently, the unnamed 75-year-old man has been charged with illegal cannabis cultivation and was scheduled for a court hearing in the Whanganui District Court.

Operation Emerald also acted on search warrants recently in Bay of Plenty, located on the northeast side of the country. A total of 39 search warrants were conducted over the course of five days throughout the surrounding area, with 25 people arrested with a variety of charges. “Police have laid a number of drug and firearm-related charges, and further charges and arrests are expected as enquiries progress,” said District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson about the warrants in Bay of Plenty. “Police, assisted by the Armed Offenders Squad in some cases, seized more than 80 grams of methamphetamine, $7,610, and recovered two stolen vehicles and a stolen motorbike. While executing the warrants, several loaded firearms were confiscated.”

The operation also led to the discovery of 11,000 cannabis plants that were either “sprayed, recovered, or pulled from the ground” according to a 1News report. “The plants ranged in size from seedlings to fully grown plants 2m high. Police recovered 729 plants at one Western Bay of Plenty address, 1.6kg of harvested cannabis at a Taupo property, and more than 4kg of edibles at an Eastern Bay of Plenty address,” Anderson continued. “The Greazy Dogs gang will be feeling particularly hard hit, with more than 2,500 plants removed from paddocks surrounding their gang pad and residential properties in Tauranga.”

Anderson added that the goal of these operations is to hinder the growth of illegal substances, and the warrants conducted in Bay of Plenty will have an “immediate effect” on gang activity. “Illicit drug operations on a commercial scale strengthen organised crime groups and harm our communities,” Anderson said. “The purpose of Operation Emerald isn’t to target recreational drug users—it’s to hit gangs and criminal entities, whose parasitic offending feeds off our communities. We’re thrilled to have hit their criminal networks and it’s pleasing to have results that have interrupted their offending. The large-scale production of illicit drugs is a high-risk activity and criminals arm themselves as protection. This increases the risk to innocent people and taking so many firearms out of the hands of criminals is only a good thing.”

Anderson estimated that New Zealand gangs likely receive about $406 million per year because of illegal cannabis sales. “We don’t want them here, we don’t need them here, and we will target their offending every chance we get,” Anderson concluded. “If you choose to cultivate a drug that remains illegal and if you use it to fund your criminal lifestyle and perpetuate misery in our communities, you can expect police to hold you to account and to seize illegal firearms, drugs and ill-gotten gains.”

In 2023, Operation Emerald seized or destroyed various illegal substances totaling a value of $128 million. Statistics about last year’s searches show that police found 35,097 cannabis plants (approximately 93.452 kg or 206 pounds of plant material in weight).

New Zealand’s cannabis eradication program was initially cancelled in January 2021 because it cost too much to send out helicopters and airplanes out to investigate illegal cannabis grow sites. However, the program was revived in January 2022.

Adult-use cannabis is currently illegal in New Zealand, but medical cannabis has been permitted since 2020. Meanwhile, the country’s first mushroom cultivation license was granted in October 2023. License holder Rua Bioscience is excited to offer legal psilocybin therapy options. “It is a privilege to be involved in this ground-breaking project and we are excited to be able to support this kaupapa,” said Rua Bioscience CEO Paul Naske. “It is exciting to see Australia and other jurisdictions embracing innovative and potentially life-changing medical research with psilocybin and exciting for Rua Bioscience to now be part of such a great national collaboration.”

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Fashion model Gigi Hadid and a friend were arrested on marijuana charges in the Cayman Islands last week, customs officials confirmed on Tuesday. After appearing in court and paying a fine, the pair continued their vacation and have since left the Caribbean nation, according to multiple media reports.

Hadid, a self-described “nepo baby” (her father is a real estate developer and her mother was featured on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” after a 15-year modeling career of her own) was arrested on July 10 along with her friend Leah Nicole McCarthy after they arrived in a private plane from New York City, according to officials with the Cayman Islands Customs & Border Control. 

“During the search of their luggage, ganja and utensils used for the consumption of ganja were found in the luggage of both passengers,” according to a report from island news source Cayman Marl Road. “The quantities were relatively small and were seemingly for personal consumption.”

The two women were arrested and taken to a detention center, where they were released on bail. Two days after their arrival, Hadid and McCarthy were charged with “suspicion of importation of ganja and importation of utensils used for the consumption of ganja.” They later appeared before a summary court, where they pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a fine of $1,000. They were then released with a clean record, according to customs officials.

Ronde Coletta, Hadid’s representative, told the Washington Post that the supermodel had purchased the cannabis with a medical marijuana recommendation and noted that the medicinal use of cannabis has been legal in Grand Cayman since 2017.

“Her record remains clear and she enjoyed the rest of her time on the island,” Coletta said.

Once free, Hadid and McCarthy continued their vacation, with media reports noting that they had been seen at a karaoke bar and snapping poolside selfies that were later posted to Instagram.

“All’s well that ends well,” Hadid captioned the post, which did not specifically address her arrest.

Cannabis Policy Reform In The Cayman Islands

In 2021, cannabis activists in the Cayman Islands began collecting signatures for a voter initiative to decriminalize marijuana. If adopted, the proposal would also expunge the records of people who have been convicted of using or possessing small amounts of cannabis. And last year, the Cayman Islands Parliament voted to hold a referendum that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. If either becomes law, the island nation will join others in the Caribbean region that have decriminalized cannabis or legalized medical marijuana, including Puerto Rico, Dominica, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Orrie Merren IV, a civil attorney who drafted the voter-led initiative, said that the proposal was drafted to address the disproportionate impact cannabis prohibition has on the islands’ young adults, many of whom live in its lower-income communities.

“I think it’s quite an onerous burden for them to get a criminal charge that then disallows them to obtain employment in the future, or in certain cases could hurt their ability to travel for the purpose of school, university, trade qualifications,” Merren told the Los Angeles Times, referring to young Caymanians. He said he knew at least one person who couldn’t travel to the U.S. because of a marijuana possession charge.

Merren noted that while residents of both wealthy and lower-income communities use drugs, arrests of low-income residents are more prevalent.

“You’re less likely to have police patrols going through a gated community than, say, if you’re looking at lower-income places,” which tend to have higher crime rates and greater police surveillance, Merren said.

Last year, law enforcement officers arrested 154 people for drug-related crimes in the island nation of about 80,000 residents, according to data from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. Most cannabis-related arrests were for marijuana possession, with only three people arrested for importing pot, the charge faced by Hadid and her traveling companion.

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The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill on April 10 that bars police from using the odor of cannabis as the basis for the search of a person or automobile. The measure, House Bill 1071, also lowers the civil fine for consuming cannabis in public to $50. 

The bill was approved by the Maryland House by a vote of 101-36 in the closing minutes of the legislative session Monday night after passing in the state Senate with amendments earlier in the day. The legislation now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Wes Moore for consideration.

Bill Bans Searches Based on Odor of Weed

Under House Bill 1071, law enforcement officers would be prohibited from using the odor of raw or burnt cannabis as probable cause to search a person or vehicle. Supporters of the legislation maintain that the bill is required to fulfill the intent of Question 4, a ballot referendum to legalize recreational marijuana that passed with nearly two-thirds of the vote in the midterm elections last year. House Bill 1071 also bans searches based on possession of a legal amount of marijuana or the presence of cash in the proximity of cannabis without additional evidence showing an intent to distribute marijuana.

Question 4, which takes effect on July 1, legalizes possession of up to 12 grams of cannabis for personal use. Possession of between 12 and 20 grams will be a civil offense, punishable by a fine of up to $250. Possession of cannabis in quantities greater than 20 grams will be a misdemeanor carrying penalties including up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Because possession of cannabis will still be illegal in amounts greater than 12 grams, legalization advocates say House Bill 1071 is necessary to protect the rights of legal cannabis users. The legislation follows a court decision from the Maryland Supreme Court last year that upheld police authority to briefly detain and search individuals based on the odor of cannabis, despite the state’s legalization of medical marijuana in 2013. Assistant Maryland Public Defender Michele Hall, who unsuccessfully argued the Supreme Court case, told the House Judiciary Committee last month that police will continue to conduct searches based solely on the perceived odor of cannabis.

“Legalization alone did not fix this problem,” Hall told the House Judiciary Committee last month, according to a report from the Maryland Daily Record.

“As long as odor supports Fourth Amendment intrusion, Marylanders legally engaging in the cannabis market are at risk,” added Hall. “Alleging odor of cannabis alone is nothing more than a blank check for police to intrude upon a person’s right to privacy in the hopes of finding something criminal, and the Fourth Amendment requires more.”

The legislation to ban police from using the odor of marijuana as probable cause for a search is also supported by the Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“Marijuana odor stops and searches not only pose serious risk to people’s Fourth Amendment rights, they enable racial profiling and dangerous and unnecessary police interactions,” Yanet Amanuel, the chapter’s public policy director, told the Judiciary Committee in March.

“This is why it is critical that the legislature must step up and ensure that the law and police practices are consistent with the reason you all said you support legalization of marijuana and, most importantly, the law reflects the will of the people,” Amanuel added. “Marylanders should not fear police interactions because of a lingering odor of a now legal substance.”

Meg Nash, a partner at the cannabis and psychedelics law firm Vicente LLP, said that legislation such as House Bill 1071 is needed to ensure that the legalization of cannabis is enforced equally.

“It’s encouraging to see Maryland tackling the harmful impacts of the war on drugs, not only through adult use legalization, but by revisiting sections of their criminal code,” Nash wrote in an email to High Times on Wednesday. “These types of laws are necessary to protect the rights of individuals in states, like Maryland, that have legalized cannabis for adult use and show the state’s commitment to addressing harms to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by prohibition.”

House Bill 1071 also reduces the fine for public consumption of cannabis from $250 to $50. After receiving final passage in the closing minutes of the current legislative session Monday night, the bill has been sent to the governor’s desk for consideration.

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On March 16, the Tennessee Democratic Caucus demanded that five children taken during a traffic stop by law enforcement be returned to their parents immediately.

On February 16, a traffic stop conducted by Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) pulled over Deonte Williams, Bianca Clayborne, and their five children (a four-month-old infant, and kids ages two, three, five and seven), who were all traveling to a funeral. While the stop was originally due to the vehicle having a “dark tint and traveling in the left lane while not actively passing,” five grams of cannabis were found in Williams’s possession.

Williams was arrested, and Clayborne was cited but not arrested. She was told by THP that she could follow a patrol car back to the Coffee County Justice Center to bail Williams out. Six hours after the traffic stop occurred, Clayborne waited with her five children on a bench inside the criminal justice center, until her kids “were forcibly removed from her side while an officer restrained her from reaching for her crying baby,” she told Tennessee Lookout. During the time she was waiting, the Department of Children’s Service (DCS) obtained an emergency court order to take custody of the kids while she waited for Williams.

According to the DCS petition obtained by Tennessee Lookout, the DCS believed that the children were neglected, and that there was no “less drastic” alternative than taking the kids away.

“It’s just so shocking to the conscience that in 2023 this is happening,” said one of the couple’s attorneys, Jamaal Boykin. “I just have to believe if my clients looked different or had a different background, they would have just been given a citation and told you just keep this stuff away from the kids while you’re in this state and they’d be on their way.”

It’s been over a month since the incident, and the children still have not been returned to the family. Clayborne is currently breastfeeding her youngest child and has seen a drastic reduction in milk supply in the absence of her baby. She’s also suffered from lack of sleep and a panic attack.

The events of this incident have reached state legislators who are now also speaking up about the injustice.

Sen. London Lamar referred to the events as “ridiculous” and “overuse of power.” “DCS, Coffee County, y’all need to do the right thing before the situation gets worse, and we have a nation of people coming to the rescue of this Black family,” Lamar said. “Give them their children back. It’s borderline discrimination, because if this was any other family, as their attorney said, we don’t even think this would be the outcome.”

Sen. Raumesh Akbari also spoke out about keeping families together. “It is outrageous that the state forcefully separated Bianca Clayborne, a breastfeeding mother, and Deonte Williams from their kids and have allowed this to continue for nearly a month,” Akbari said. “The state exercised extreme and flawed judgment in taking their children and it seems they’ve doubled down on this poor decision. No family is perfect, but an imperfection, like a simple marijuana charge, is no excuse for tearing a family apart. The state is supposed to support reunification. If they don’t have a better reason, they must immediately return these five children to their parents.”

When Tennessee Lookout reached out to DCS for a statement, they did not respond for comment. Reaching out to the THP for a request of the traffic stop officers was denied because of an ongoing investigation.

An instant hair follicle test on both Williams and Clayborne was conducted at their first court appearance, which occurred one week after the children were taken by DCS. Tennessee Lookout spoke with an unnamed Coffee County administrator, who explained that in general, hair follicle tests are “inadmissible” in court because they can potentially result in false positives.

“This is even more reprehensible when the drug test used to justify keeping these children in foster care is known to be ‘inadmissible’ by the county’s own court administrator,” said the couple’s other attorney, Courtney Teasley.

Teasley shared on Twitter how concerned citizens can help. “We’ve received many requests of ppl wanting to help disrupt with their dollars. If you would like to support #DisruptManchester Here is the link to donate: http://Donorbox.org/disruptmanchestmanchester… Thank you all for helping disrupt a system of oppression!” Teasley wrote on Twitter on March 18.

On March 20, Teasley invited all concerned citizens who want to help bring attention to the issue to court watch the ongoing case, and attend a press conference in front of the courthouse in Manchester, Tennessee.

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The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency revealed on Tuesday that a total of nine Americans have been arrested in the span of one week for attempting to smuggle cannabis into the island nation. The law enforcement agency is now investigating to determine if there is a link between the failed attempts to illegally import marijuana from California to the U.K.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) noted that nine individuals, all United States nationals, have been arrested since last week while trying to carry cannabis from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to London’s Heathrow Airport. All of those arrested have been charged with carrying between 30 and 50 kilograms (about 56 to 110 pounds) of cannabis in their checked baggage.

“We are working to understand how these seizures are connected, however to get this many off the same route in such a short period of time is clearly very unusual,” NCA senior investigation officer Darren Barr said in a statement from the agency. 

9 Pot Seizures In One Week

The first seizure was made on Tuesday, January 10, when a passenger arriving at Heathrow from LAX was arrested after the Border Force found about 30 kilos of cannabis in the traveler’s luggage. Three days later, another seizure was made on Friday, followed by an additional two interdictions on Saturday. Cannabis from LAX was seized at Heathrow four more times on Sunday, while the most recent smuggling attempt to be thwarted occurred on Monday, January 16.

In all, about 340 kilograms (nearly 750 pounds) of marijuana were seized in the nine seizures at Heathrow over the week. All nine American nationals arrested have been charged with attempting to import class B drugs into the country and have been remanded into custody pending appearances in court.

Officials estimated the street value of the “herbal cannabis” at more than £5.5 million, or about $6.8 million, although law enforcement agencies have been known to make inflated estimates of the value of seized drugs. 

The NCA official warned that the suspects charged in the smuggling cases face steep penalties if they are found guilty. Convictions for importing class B drugs into the U.K. can carry unlimited fines and prison sentences of up to 14 years.

“Drugs couriers face stiff sentences so I’d urge anyone considering getting involved in such ventures to think very carefully about the consequences,” Barr noted. “Alongside partners like Border Force we are determined to do all we can to disrupt the organized crime groups involved in international drug trafficking.”

Steve Dann, the chief operating officer of the Border Force, praised the work of customs officials for their role in preventing the seized cannabis from entering the country.

“Drugs fuel violence and chaos on the streets and inflict suffering in communities across the U.K. Thanks to the work by Border Force, these dangerous drugs were stopped from reaching Britain’s streets and causing significant harm to our neighborhoods,” said Dann. “This seizure demonstrates the successful joint partnership between the Border Force and NCA, as well as our common commitment to keep our communities safe and smash the illegal drugs trade.”

U.K. Cannabis Policy Under Debate

The marijuana seizures at Heathrow Airport come as government officials engage in a renewed debate over cannabis policy in the U.K. In July of last year, then-Home Secretary Priti Patel announced proposed new sanctions on users of cannabis and other drugs that include the confiscation of driver’s licenses and passports under a new three-strikes policy for illicit drug use. 

“Drugs are a scourge across society. They devastate lives and tear communities apart,” Patel said in a statement from the government. “Drug misuse puts lives at risk, fuels criminality and serious and violent crime and also results in the grotesque exploitation of young, vulnerable people.”

Under the proposal, which was detailed in a white paper drafted by the Home Office, those caught with illegal recreational drugs would face fines and mandatory drug education. They could also be banned from nightclubs and other entertainment venues.

Three months later, U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman revealed that she was considering tightening the classification of cannabis under the nation’s drug laws over concerns that marijuana is a gateway drug and can lead to serious health problems. Braverman’s review followed calls from law enforcement leaders to reclassify cannabis as a Class A drug, the same category assigned to substances including heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy.

But then last month, a group of police chiefs in the United Kingdom announced a plan to effectively decriminalize the possession of drugs including cannabis and cocaine. If adopted by the government, the use and possession of small amounts of recreational drugs would be treated as a public health issue for first-time offenders, rather than a criminal offense subject to prosecution and jail time or other punishment.

The proposals, which were developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, would effectively decriminalize the possession of Class A drugs including cocaine and Class B substances such as marijuana. Under the plan, individuals caught with illegal drugs would be offered an opportunity to attend drug education or treatment programs, rather than being subjected to prosecution. 

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The arrest of a senior Albanian government official suspected of using her status to smuggle drugs across the border continues to raise eyebrows. 

Erisa Fero, who serves as the IT director of the country’s top intelligence agency, was arrested “on the 29th of December in a remote, mountainous section of Albania near the border with North Macedonia as she was allegedly transporting 58kg of cannabis.”

“Albanian police said Fero was using her official government ID as a security official to avoid police checkpoints and searches. During the arrest, Fero’s reported romantic partner, Leke Basha, 30, and a 17-year-old suspect, were also detained for drug trafficking offences. Two suspects on the North Macedonian side of the border, believed to have been receiving the drugs, escaped after a long manhunt, according to police,” VICE reported, while also citing local media in noting that “police suspect those arrested in the incident, including Fero, of having links with organised crime gangs.”

It is apparently not the first time that Fero, 28, has been ensnared in scandal. 

According to the Greek City Times, Fero was “reported for illegality to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), along with 21 other commissioners” in December of 2021 when she was “a member of a vote counting committee in a constituency.”

“However, the results of the votes were falsified in the Commission in which she participated, with the competent committee filing a complaint with the prosecutor’s office in Tirana against 21 commissioners, including Fero,” the outlet reported. “The young woman has been accused of participating in the manipulation of the April 25, 2021 elections, as well as removing or adding votes in favour of candidates of different parties.”

Recreational and medical cannabis are both prohibited in Albania.

According to the legal firm CMS, in 2000, “Albania joined the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, which is an international treaty that prohibits the use, production and trade of listed narcotics, except for medical treatments and research,” although “this part of the treaty for the medical use of cannabis has not been enforced by Albania.”

“In 1994, the Albanian government established the ‘Law of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances’, and cannabis was included in the list of controlled drugs. On 27 January 1995, the criminal code of the Republic of Albania was created, and the usage, production and trade of narcotics was prohibited. Cannabis is not specifically listed however the government made clear that it falls within the definition of narcotics,” CMS explains. “According to Article 283 of the criminal code, the sale, offer for sale, giving or receiving of any form, distribution, trading, transport, sending, delivering, and keeping of narcotic and psychotropic substances and seeds of narcotic plants, in conflict with the law (excluding cases when it is for personal use and in small doses) is sentenced to imprisonment of from five to ten years.”

The arrest of a senior government official––as well as someone with alleged links to organized crime––comes at a politically inauspicious time for Albania.

As VICE noted in its report, the arrest of Fero “came as NATO member Albania pushes for a deeper relationship with the EU, including potential future membership.”

“Albania and other countries including Bulgaria and Romania have made significant gains in battling local organised crime and corruption in cooperation with the EU and NATO,” a senior EU security official said. “But this incident shows the difficulty in battling corruption in a patronage environment like Albania.”

VICE reported that the official “said with access to internal IT and information systems, Fero’s alleged crime links could lead to a high risk of intelligence being passed onto criminal gangs or hostile intelligence services.”

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Back in October 2020, Fleetwood Mac hit “Dreams” rose to the number one spot on iTunes because of a viral TikTok video. An Idaho Falls, Idaho resident Nathan Apodaca (username 420Doggface208) was rolling down the street on his longboard drinking Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice while singing along to the Fleetwood Mac hit song. Apodaca’s rise to fame led to responses from Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Ocean Spray CEO Tom Hayes, Cheech and Chong, and many more. Needless to say, it was a vibe during the height of the pandemic, and since then he’s had a steady stream of TikTok videos. As recently as August 2022 Apodaca debuted his acting career as Uncle Charley in the Hulu series Reservation Dogs. He was featured in a Klypso music video called “Low Rider (No Lighter)” with Snoop Dogg and War earlier this year. Ironically, it begins with Doggface smoking with Cheech and Chong, and a police officer.

Recently though, Apodaca was arrested for cannabis. There appears to be some dispute between the reasons for the arrest between the perspective of Apodaca and law enforcement.

According to local Idaho police, he was pulled over in his truck due to an expired registration sticker. TMZ broke the story, stating that the trooper allegedly smelled cannabis when he approached the vehicle. While Apodaca searched for his registration in his glove box, the police officer noticed edibles in Apodaca’s glove box, which prompted him to ask Apodaca to exit the truck.

Apodaca told the officer that there were cannabis products in his truck, including three packages of THC gummies, and a dabbing tool. The officer arrested him for possession of cannabis, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked but also released on the same day with a $600 bond.

TMZ contacted Apodaca about the incident, who shared that from his perspective, things went differently. “During the arrest, the officers failed to read me my Miranda rights. Initially, when officers found weed they said they were only going to write a ticket. They then found a gun and told me I was under arrest because I had a felony on my record and I wasn’t allowed to possess a firearm. However, I do not have a felony on my record, which I told the officers,” Apodaca told TMZ. “Despite me telling them this, I was taken into custody. I was held in jail for several hours without bond before they told me they make [sic] a huge mistake. Then was told I was only being held on the weed charge and could bond out.”

In Idaho, three ounces or less is considered to be a misdemeanor, which can net offenders up to one year in jail, and up to a $1,000 fine. A felony charge would include possession of more than three ounces but less than one pound; it could lead to up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Ideally, cannabis laws will be more forgiving in the future if medical cannabis is legalized. Advocates in Idaho are currently targeting 2024 as the year to push for medical cannabis on the ballot. Previously, Idaho has seen nearly a decade of attempts to legalize cannabis for medical use, but never quite garnered the necessary support. An organization called Kind Idaho is collecting signatures now to ensure that they have enough to qualify in 2024. “We want the opportunity for Idaho residents to succeed on their own terms. And for many of those people on their own terms, the best solution is medical marijuana,” said Kind Idaho Treasurer Joe Evans.

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Authorities will get you, even if you’ve been out of the game for years. That was the case of Anthony Alegrete, who served 24 months in federal prison and an additional 24 months of house arrest for his involvement in a cannabis operation. The bust ensnared scores of other individuals, including Evelyn LaChappelle and Anthony’s good friend Corvain Cooper. The latter would be sentenced to life on a third-strike drug charge.

Old charges coming back hurt that much more for Alegrete and his wife, Loriel. Anthony was in college. The two had built a successful local charitable endeavor in the Las Vegas area. Making matters worse, their third child, and first daughter, was on the way. 

Once out, Alegrete was determined to not only rebuild his own life but get Corvain home so that the two could further give back to the community.

Years Removed With A New Life, The Feds Come Calling

Alegrete and Cooper have been friends for nearly 30 years. Meeting at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles in 1994, the two had a tight bond. But by 2005, they began amicably heading in different directions as their careers blossomed post-cannabis sales. By 2008, the two hadn’t interacted much for years, with Cooper owning a fashion store, while Alegrete moved to Las Vegas and enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Like Cooper, the Alegretes also focused on community efforts. They created a charitable program for the city aimed at combating childhood obesity, Jump For Joy.

“After getting in trouble so much in my younger years and moving to Vegas, I gave myself a life sentence to community service,” he stated.

Within months, the program boasted hundreds of campers. Two years later, it boasted three to 4,000 attendees. The program would work with schools and organizations like the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club of America. With school and the program thriving, Alegrete found his path, dedicating his skills to community service.

Then, his past came back in the form of federal agents.

Charges Emerge Seven Years Later

Seven years removed from any illicit cannabis activity, Alegrete was stunned to see he was in the crosshairs of the law once again. In previous experiences, he had been convicted on operation-related charges. In one instance, he was sentenced for giving an ID to someone caught selling cannabis. Another charge stemmed from handling cannabis funds. He thought he had paid for his crimes. 

Alegrete wasn’t facing a mandatory life sentence for a third-strike offense like Cooper, whose three charges stemmed directly from drug charges. Not facing a mandatory life sentence, coupled with his ongoing schooling and community service, allowed Alegrete to earn a softer punishment than what he might have been given. He credits the outpouring of support he received from the community.

He recalled a procedural hearing, typically taking 15 minutes, became a “four-hour miniature trial about my character and the man I’d become post-crime.” He added, “I had people fly out. I had doctors and Ph.D. professors… fly out to speak about my character because I had been such a changed individual.” In the end, he said prosecutors portrayed him as a villain.

The courts would delay his sentencing for two years so he could finish college. Instead of taking the next steps in his career after graduating, the Outstanding Student Graduate award winner would serve two years in prison.

Prison certainly tested both Anthony and Loriel. He would do his best to continue educating himself, reading frequently. Some favorites included Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom and all of Malcolm Gladwell’s works. The book to make the most impact was Gregory David Robert’s 2003 novel Shantaram, the story of an escaped Australian convict who lives in the slums of India where he provides free healthcare to the community while also continuing in illicit operations like the mafia.

While Anthony waited for freedom, Loriel served as the sole provider for herself and their three children. She was experienced in such a predicament. At 13, she provided a similar role to her family when her brother was arrested and tried.

While challenging, the two remained together. “She really stayed down, man,” Anthony said of Loriel, calling her a beautiful woman. “It’s my duty, no matter what, even if we broke up, to always make sure that she’s taken care of,” he said.

On May 14, 2015, Anthony received his release from prison.

A Return To Giving Back To The Community

Alegrete spent the next two years rebuilding what he lost. That included reestablishing his reputation, career and finances. Post-prison, he didn’t want to become a grunt. He wanted to thrive once again. He first landed a position with a logistics company, where he received equity while handling 1,500 deliveries every day. “I learned the logistics business, then I was slowly getting back into the entrepreneurial spirits,” he recalled.

The shared legal experience with Cooper reinvigorated their friendship. Once released, Alegrete would have regular calls with Cooper while he served his life sentence. The two talked like old friends while also thinking about how Cooper could earn his release. Those conversations eventually led to forming a social impact brand aimed at advocating for people like them in the system. The endeavor would also strive to ensure that kids don’t follow their path. They eventually settled on 40 Tons as a name, recognizing the amount of cannabis authorities allege Cooper had trafficked.

“We learned our lesson,” said Alegrete. “We wanna stop the next Corvain Cooper from going down that path,” he said. While educating kids, the endeavor also aims to provide support for prisoners through financial donations, scholarships, career fairs and other means of support.

Cooper had begun to garner significant support from various advocates and cannabis prisoner rights groups by this time. After he connected the groups to Alegrete, a unified effort began to take shape.

The Alegretes would launch 40 Tons to ensure Cooper would not harm his current standing by associating with a cannabis operation. Part of the company’s commitment to criminal justice is its line of shirts featuring past and current prisoners, including Cooper. All of the proceeds from the sales of prisoner-centric shirts go directly towards the featured prisoner.

On January 20, 2021, Cooper received clemency from then-President Trump. Upon his return, Cooper joined 40 Tons as an advocate and brand ambassador. Cooper does not have any involvement in the company’s cannabis or accessories line, per his sentencing conditions. He focuses on advocacy and the company’s clothing options.

40 Tons is now starting to become profitable. At the same time, the Alegretes continue to advocate for the release of nonviolent cannabis offenders. A primary focus is stopping recidivism, prisoners reoffending post-release. An upcoming career fair aims to help with resumes, obtain a career in the field, while also assisting offenders obtain their record expungement. The Alegretes hope their efforts are just one of many that help provides more resources to prisoners and families affected by the prison system.

Today, Alegrete considers himself “The type of citizen that our government would want.” He calls himself a contributor, noting his investments in the community while abiding by the laws as a tax-paying citizen.

“I had to go through the fire to come out the other side,” he said.

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