SACRAMENTO, Calif. March 22, 2018 – A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Jose Gregorio Luna, 33, of Nevada City, charging him with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and manufacturing marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Luna operated an interstate marijuana trafficking operation that distributed marijuana from Nevada County in California to Georgia, Illinois, New York, and Tennessee. On March 13, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Luna’s residence and seized 1,283 pounds of marijuana and 576 marijuana plants.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Quinn Hochhalter and Justin Lee are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Luna faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.