This couple’s green Christmas quickly turned blue.
Patrick Jiron, 80, and his wife Barbara Jiron, 70, were driving from California to New England on Tuesday when sheriff’s deputies pulled them over for a traffic stop—and found 60 pounds of marijuana.
Elderly couple claims marijuana was for Christmas presents https://t.co/aCNGKuhJE0 pic.twitter.com/HyrTJfHcvz
— York News-Times (@yorknewstimes) December 20, 2017
The deputies saw the couple’s pickup truck driving over the center lane without signaling. During the traffic stop, the deputies could smell marijuana, the department said.
The Jirons acknowledged they had the contraband, and deputies found the 60 pounds of pot in boxes under the truck’s topper. There were also multiple containers of concentrated THC.
“They said the marijuana was for Christmas presents,” Lt. Paul Vrbka told the York News-Times.
The couple also reportedly said they “didn’t know it was illegal to transport marijuana in Nebraska.”
The sheriff’s department estimated the street value of the pot was over $300,000, NPR reported.
Barbara Jiron was not jailed “due to some medical issues,” the News-Times reported, but Patrick Jiron was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp (required by Nebraska law for marijuana dealers).
There’s no word on how upset the Jirons’ family and friends are that they won’t be getting their gifts.
H/T NPR