Man gets 6 months in jail for having $3.2 million worth of marijuana
A North Carolina man who authorities say was caught with more than 350 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $3.2 million in Hampshire has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to 180 days jail and four years of probation.
Levi T. Blalock, 37, of Chapel Hill, also must pay a $85,000 drug fine under a plea agreement reached this week in Kane County, according to court records.
He was initially charged with possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver and cannabis trafficking, which are felonies that carried a prison term ranging from six to 30 years.
In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed more severe charges and Blalock pleaded guilty to felony possession of cannabis, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
According to the Kane County sheriff's department, Blalock was arrested Feb. 12, 2015 outside of a Super 8 hotel in Hampshire.
Deputies in the department's special operations unit were patrolling the parking lot and Blalock - who court records say is a construction worker - gave conflicting stories of what he was doing in the area.
Deputies called a drug-sniffing dog, which signaled Blalock's vehicle.
Authorities found 15 large garbage bags containing 296 smaller bags of high-grade marijuana, for a total of 354 pounds. Authorities also seized $31,000.
Blalock returned to the East Coast after posting $100,000 bond while his case was pending so authorities can use his refunded bond money to collect the fine.
A message left with Blalock's attorney, Paul DeLuca, was not immediately returned.
If Blalock violates his probation, he could be resentenced to up to 15 years in prison.