Illegals sentenced to 12 years in marijuana bust
September 29, 2009, 8:11 pm
By: Lisa Marchesoni
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Posted: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 2:43 pm
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Three
illegal immigrants were sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading
guilty Friday to possession of more than 70 pounds of marijuana.
Defendants
Jose Almanz Castillo, Julio Ceaser Luna-Puga and Osvaldo Galvan-Robles
were originally charged with possessing 561 pounds of marijuana valued
at $561,000 when arrested by sheriff’s narcotics detectives April 8,
2008, said Assistant District Attorney Jennings Jones.
Jennings worked with their respective attorneys to work out the plea accepted by Circuit Court Judge David M. Bragg.
At the time, sheriff’s Narcotics Lt. Egon Grissom said Castillo had previously been deported but returned to the U.S.
Detectives
received a tip in April 2008 from the 23rd Judicial Drug Task Force
about a large quantity of marijuana possibly being stored at an Old
Nashville Highway home.
Narcotics Detectives Jerremy Weaver and
Chris Owens did surveillance and stopped a cargo van. They located the
three suspects with marijuana. They obtained a search warrant for two
Smyrna homes where they found equipment to package marijuana.
Detectives
seized 561 pounds of fresh marijuana believed packaged at the “stash
house.” They also seized $5,500 in cash, a truck and a cargo van
believed used to transport the marijuana.
During the plea, an interpreter relayed the facts of the case and the proposed sentence.
The
three men pleaded guilty to the reduced charge. They were sentenced to
12 years in prison with the remaining counts dismissed. They were fined
$2,000 each. They must submit to a DNA sample.
They will receive credit from the time they were arrested.
Grissom
said the convicts were expected to be deported after serving their
sentence. Since receiving credit for time served, the convicts may be
eligible for parole in three years.
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