Whitefish medical marijuana growers sentenced
Two more people connected with a medical marijuana business on Jellison Road were sentenced to prison in federal court, including the head of an operation prosecutors claim did business across the U.S.
According to court documents, Christopher Durbin, 33, of Oregon and Whitefish, owned and operated several businesses in the Flathead Valley, including Four Seasons Gardening, Northern Lights Medical and Good Medicine Providers, all located on Jellison Road in Columbia Falls.
Four Seasons sold grow equipment for medical marijuana providers and other people, Northern Lights helped individuals get a medical marijuana patient card, and Good Medicine was a medical marijuana dispensary.
The prosecutors claim that from November 2009 until March 14, 2011 — when federal, local and state law enforcement raided large medical marijuana businesses across Montana — Durbin was distributing large quantities of marijuana to individuals both inside and outside Montana.
A confidential informant was prepared to testify to traveling to New York on two occasions to pick up $50,000 in cash after marijuana was delivered there at Durbin’s request. Locally, law enforcement made four undercover marijuana purchases at Good Medicine.
On March 14, 2011, law enforcement recovered more than 1,000 marijuana plants at warehouses on East Reserve Drive in Kalispell and on U.S. 93 in Olney. Witnesses were prepared to testify that Durbin funded both warehouses and that the plants were grown at his request.
Prosecutors also claim Durbin deposited about $71,900 at Glacier Bank in 16 cash deposits ranging from $4,000 to $6,000 — structured small enough not to cause the bank to file a currency transaction report. Witnesses were prepared to testify that Durbin talked about the need to make deposits small enough to avoid the currency transaction reports.
Durbin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and structuring. U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy sentenced Durbin on July 12 to 84 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Also sentenced on July 12 in connection with the case was Trey Scales, 33, of Whitefish. He and Aaron Durbin, 29, and Justin Maddock, 40, were arrested March 14, 2011, after Homeland Security Investigations personnel raided Four Seasons and Good Medicine.
In addition to growing marijuana, Scales allegedly distributed large quantities of marijuana to individuals inside and outside Montana. A search of Scales’ home in Whitefish uncovered 43 marijuana plants.
Scales pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, six months home arrest and four years of supervised release. Aaron Durbin and Maddock also pleaded guilty and were sentenced in June.