A Hamersville couple has been arrested for operating a “large scale” marijuana operation.
Wayne Jones, Jr. and Erin Jones were both charged with multiple offenses by a Brown County Grand Jury on May 18.
The charges for both include Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity, a first degree felony, and Possession of Marijuana and two counts of Trafficking in Marijuana, all third degree felonies.
They are also charged with two counts of Receiving Stolen Property, both fourth degree felonies, and one fifth degree felony count of Trafficking in Marijuana.
In addition, Grand Jurors found that the following property is contraband or represents proceeds derived from the commission of the offenses in the indictment: ten cars, three motorcycles, a boat, various electronic equipment, two bows and 32 guns of various types.
Both are currently free on $50,000 bond.
Brown County Prosector Zac Corbin said that the marijuana operation had been going on for at least five years.
“This was a pretty large scale marijuana trafficking operation that was going on at the Jones house. The allegations are that he was supplying a lot of marijuana to a lot of people for a lengthy period of time,” Corbin said.
“There were also a number of stolen firearms collected, which resulted in the Receiving Stolen Property charges that the Jones’ are facing.”
Corbin said that firearms are commonly found during searches of drug operations.
“Guns are currency for drug traffickers. If you go to someone and you don’t have the cash, you use guns,” he said.
Corbin also addressed the perception of some that marijuana is not as serious as other drugs.
“Almost every time I sit in the courtroom and watch someone being sentenced for dealing in heroin or other drugs that the public that would consider more dangerous, virtually every time these defendants will tell the judge that they got started with marijuana,” Corbin said.