cannabisnews.com: Defendent Challenges Largest MJ Bust in Missouri!





Defendent Challenges Largest MJ Bust in Missouri!
Posted by FoM on July 09, 1999 at 11:00:32 PT
Source: MSNBC
SPRINGFIELD A man driving a semi-truck that had 6,500 pounds of marijuana wants the evidence against him to not be allowed in his trial. Missouri Highway Patrol officers made the bust March 10 at the I-44 weigh station at Strafford.
It was the largest marijuana shipment found in state history. Defense attorney Dee Wampler, representing Abbas Shambayaty of Iran, claims it should be thrown out because his client didn’t understand his rights. The highway patrol estimated the street value of the seized pot at about $6.5 million. Shambayaty told the weigh station operators that he was hauling hot peppers. Sure enough, he had 720 cardboard boxes of them in the truck – along with 81 boxes of bundled marijuana. Investigators think the driver hoped the peppers would mask the smell of the marijuana.Commercial vehicle inspectors called for a patrol officer and a search dog after spotting discrepancies between the driver’s log and his shipping papers. Officers say the driver also told conflicting stories about where he was headed. The highway patrol says the driver consented to a search of his truck.Investigators believe the shipment was on its way from Texas to Chicago.  A sample from each package was tested to make sure it was really marijuana. Shambayaty is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute. Shambayaty speaks Farsi, which is the modern Iranian language. Wampler says he didn’t understand what was being said when he was arrested. Yet, at a hearing on pretrial motions at the U.S. Courthouse on Thursday, Wampler said he thought his client understood enough English to go to court without an interpreter.“We got over here today and everybody thought that he could understand what was going on,” Wampler said outside the courthouse. “We were hopeful that we didn’t have to go to trouble and expense later, so you can blame us because we thought he could understand.” Magistrate Judge James England postponed the hearing until August 11, when he’ll have an interpreter in court. The assistant U.S. prosecutor contends that it was a good arrest and that Shambayaty had no problems understanding.If the judge decides that the evidence should be thrown out, prosecutors won’t have a case. It’s scheduled for a jury trial on September 7.If convicted, Shambayaty could face 10 years to life in prison, plus up to $4 million in fines.  Pubdate : July 9,1999 http://www.msnbc.com/local/KYTV/78072.asp
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Comment #1 posted by F12 on July 09, 1999 at 16:25:10 PT
I love marijuana
The land of the free and the home of the brave, has become the land of the suspect and the home of the oppressed.
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