GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Lansing man who called himself the "Professor of Pot" was convicted by a jury Monday on ten federal marijuana trafficking-related charges. The trial lasted four days.
Daniel Dario Trevino, 47, owned a marijuana dispensary called Hydro World that had storefronts in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Mount Pleasant and Flint. The stores were open between 2010 and 2017.
The Department of Justice said Trevino's dispensary "operated far outside the boundaries of not only federal law but also the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act."
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Grand Rapids, Trevino was a previously convicted drug felon for crimes involving marijuana and cocaine. Because of his convictions, he was only allowed to be a medical marijuana patient under state law, which means he could cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for his own use.
However, Trevino instead had thousands of marijuana plants, selling hundreds of kilograms of marijuana which generated at least $2.9 million in sales, federal authorities said.
Additionally, Hydro World offered Lansing and Jackson customers a marijuana delivery service. Trevino also "effectively creat[ed] a marijuana farmers' market" by leasing space at his storefronts to other marijuana growers to sell their products.
The DOJ said Trevino's storefronts and grow locations were searched by law enforcement at least 16 times from 2010 to 2016.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, Trevino was operating illegally. Additionally, he also violated state laws.
“Although Trevino has long claimed that what he was doing was legal under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, he was not even close to being legal and made a mockery of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act in the process," said Birge. "Trevino had ample opportunity to realize the illegal nature of his business under both federal and state law, given the number of times his operations were searched. He would not stop. Perhaps he will get a better understanding of the law behind bars."
Due to the amount of marijuana Trevino dealt, he is facing a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a statutory maximum of 40 years. He will be sentenced later this year.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said some of his closest associates were already sentenced after pleading guilty.
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