Two people charged as part of a crackdown on marijuana dispensaries in Washington state pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday, acknowledging their business was a front for an illicit drug distribution and money-laundering scheme.
Seattle residents Craig Dieffenbach and Jingjing Mo entered the pleas in U.S. District Court in Seattle. They face potential five-year mandatory minimum sentences but could receive significantly less time if they cooperate with investigators.
The pair ran two dispensaries under the name Seattle Cannabis Cooperative, which were among about 20 dispensaries raided by state and federal authorities last November. Authorities said the shops purported to be serving medical marijuana patients but were fronts for illicit drug sales.
At one point, Mo, with Dieffenbach’s knowledge, sold a pound of marijuana to a customer who turned out to be a DEA informant, they admitted in court. Mo also offered to sell 25 pounds for distribution in the Midwest — and suggested the informant buy lousy weed, under the theory that drug users there wouldn’t know the difference.
The Associated Press
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