Elderly 'Christmas Pot' Couple Arrested Again

Deputies found $18K, drug residue in vehicle
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 11, 2018 4:51 AM CST
Elderly 'Christmas Pot' Couple Arrested Again
This photo provided by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Department shows Patrick Jiron.   (Lancaster County Sheriff's Department via AP)

California couple Patrick and Barbara Jiron are clearly having a very active retirement—and they're also keeping prosecutors in Nebraska busy. The couple, who made headlines last month when they claimed 60 pounds of marijuana found in their car was for Christmas presents, were arrested again Tuesday on suspicion of carrying drug money, NPR reports. Authorities say that after the Jirons, who are 80 and 70 years old, respectively, were stopped on Interstate 80 for tailgating and a deputy became suspicious, $18,000 was found stuffed into a duffel bag in their vehicle. A drug dog detected traces of marijuana on the money and in a garbage bag found in the vehicle, the Lincoln Journal Star reports.

When they were stopped in Nebraska's York County on Dec. 19, the Jirons said they were bringing the marijuana, worth around $336,000, to Vermont and didn't know it was illegal to transport pot through Nebraska. Tuesday's arrest was in Lancaster County, two counties west. The Jirons were released after paying 10% of $2,500 bond each and signing a form stating that they don't claim the $18,000 as their own, the York News-Times reports. Their daughter, a Vermont resident who was driving the vehicle, was not arrested. They have a court appearance relating to the December arrest next week. Their son, Justin, is a deputy prosecutor in Vermont, where authorities say he has no connection to the drug allegations and is "extremely disappointed" by their behavior, the Burlington Free Press reports. (More marijuana stories.)

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