Broker in Oregon-Indiana illicit pot ring pleads guilty – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

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A Medford man will have to resolve his marijuana charges in Jackson County Circuit Court before he can prosecute the narcotics officers, a US District Court judge in Medford ruled on Tuesday.

A man has admitted his role in a multi-state illicit marijuana ring that allegedly involved southern Oregon pot routinely delivered across the country – and resulted in the confiscation of more than $ 1.6 million in cash.

John A. Magliana, III, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Medford on Monday to possession with intent to distribute marijuana, admitting he managed an unauthorized Selma marijuana grow between September 2018 and July 2020, according to an advocacy petition signed by Magliana.

Additionally, Magliana admitted that in July of last year, he drove from Los Angeles to Rogue Valley with 9,838 one gram THC vape cartridges.

The nearly 10 kilograms of THC concentrate had a market value of around $ 80,000, according to an affidavit filed by a US Department of Homeland Security agent.

Magliana’s arrest led to multiple traffic stops and property raids between southern Oregon and northern Indiana which ultimately pointed to Magliana, also known as “Cutty” and Lowell Kortas of Mishawaka, Indiana, known to dealers and distributors as “Casper”. “Imprudent” and “London K.”

“Kortas and Magliana both used many different people to transport the marijuana and the cash, and often only sent half the money at a time for fear of losing it to a police check. movement of the police, â€states the affidavit.

The first of those stops was on May 28, 2018, on Interstate 84, when an Oregon State Police soldier arrested an Indiana woman near the Dalles who had $ 129,000. cash hidden in the vehicle’s spare tire.

A search on her cell phone showed her in “constant communication” with Kortas, who was listed as “London K.”

On July 19, 2019, PSO soldiers and federal investigators found $ 409,280 during a traffic stop of two Indiana men traveling in an RV outside of Lakeview on Highway 140 Investigators say the money was stored in vacuum-sealed bags and kept in a large Pelican slush crate. and an “LED light box”.

The men reportedly told investigators he was supposed to be paid $ 40,000 for delivering the money to southern Oregon, and that he was paid around $ 30,000 for two previous deliveries. The men used burner cell phones belonging to Magliana.

On September 12, 2018, OSP and Homeland Security Investigations searched a cultivation facility in the 600 block of Deer Creek Road in Selma. On the property, they found 45 “large marijuana plants” and a “large safe belonging to Magliana which contained approximately $ 1,674,000 in US dollars”.

In addition to the plants and the seven-figure sum, Magliana admitted to owning 31 pounds of honey butane oil from marijuana extract, 7.7 pounds of processed marijuana, 10 grams of cocaine and 21 guns, according to the plea agreement.

Listed owner of the Selma property told investigators in June 2019 that Magliana orchestrated marijuana shipments and negotiated large-scale black market growth for other growers.

Before July 15, 2020, Homeland Security Medford agents – working with the South Bend, Indiana DEA, and Indiana State Troopers – served a search warrant at Kortas’ home in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Investigators found 246 pounds of marijuana blossoms, over 2 pounds of cannabis resin, nearly 24 pounds of edibles, half a pound of psilocybin mushroom, 414 cartridges of marijuana vape and $ 37,041 in cash.

Federal investigators also seized a Ford F-250 pickup, a Ford F-350 pickup and a Yamaha Kodiak 700 quad, which they say were purchased with the drug proceeds.

Later that morning, Kortas reportedly admitted to having been in business with Magliana since 2015 and paying six-figure sums to Magliana on a monthly basis in exchange for about 40 pounds of marijuana per month and 2,000 cartridges of marijuana extract. for sale in Indiana.

“Kortas also admitted that prior to the seizure of $ 1,674,047 (…) he would send Magliana $ 200,000 in US currency about every five to six weeks to pay for the marijuana Magliana had sent him,” he says. ‘affidavit.

Kortas has yet to be charged with a felony in the case, according to research in U.S. district courts in Oregon and courts in northern and southern Indiana.

Magliana faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $ 100,000 and three years of supervised release. Under the terms of the plea deal, however, federal prosecutors and Magliana’s defense attorney will recommend a one year and one day sentence.

Contact web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.

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