LANCASTER COUNTY, Neb. – An Oregon marijuana processor was arrested in Nebraska Wednesday on drug trafficking charges.
According to the Lincoln Journal Star, 38-year-old Damascus resident Richard W. Wilkinson and John Carlson were traveling in a rented U-Haul van through Lancaster County Wednesday. They were pulled over near downtown Lincoln for an alleged traffic violation.
When deputies approached the van, they could smell marijuana. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed it was carrying packages of marijuana, vials of hash oil, thousands of marijuana seeds and 25 pounds of “shatter,” a type of processed marijuana extract.
Police said shatter sells for $100 a gram on the East Coast. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office valued the product at about $1.1 million.
Wilkinson runs a licensed marijuana processing company in Oregon, called Rich Extracts. Their website advertises shatter and other marijuana products, with the claim of “FULLY COMPLIANT!!!” He was arrested on suspicion of marijuana and intent to distribute.
Carlson, a resident of Rhode Island, was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting the possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
Police believe the two were traveling to a state where medical marijuana was legal. But that didn’t make any difference to deputies. “It’s still illegal in Nebraska, and that’s all we focus on,” Sheriff Terry Wagner said.
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