Oregon man sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison for brokering out-of-state sale of more than $1.4 million worth of marijuana

“Defendant used his distribution network in non-legalized states such as Georgia and North Carolina to profit from black-market marijuana distribution,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mygrant wrote to the court.

By Maxine Bernstein 

 

A southern Oregon man who brokered the out-of-state sale and delivery of more than $1.4 million worth of marijuana was sentenced Tuesday to nearly three years in federal prison.

Alex David Koplin moved to Oregon in 2011 to work in the marijuana industry, bought property in Jackson County and started his own marijuana farm. 

He sold more than 573 pounds of pot to customers in Georgia, Illinois and North Carolina, charging $2,500 to $3,000 a pound, between November 2014 through June 1, 2016, according to prosecutors.

Koplin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced to two years and seven months in federal prison. He also paid $150,000 to the government as part of his plea agreement.

“This demonstrates our commitment to routing out the bad actors in this industry,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Jarret told U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman.

Oregon U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams made it clear last year that his office intended to focus prosecutions on federal marijuana violations involving overproduction and interstate trafficking, arguing that too much surplus marijuana is being produced in Oregon and exported to other states.

Koplin, 34, has a history of drug abuse, according to his lawyer. The court recommended he serve his time at a federal prison camp and participate in a residential drug treatment program during his sentence.

“I feel really awful for what I’ve done,’’ Koplin said in court. “Thank you for treating me with all the respect possible.’’

In February 2015, narcotics enforcement investigators intercepted one delivery in Illinois that was on its way from the Koplin farm to a buyer in North Carolina through a courier. A drug-detection dog hit on a GMC pickup parked in the lot of a Super 8 hotel in Hampshire, Illinois. A search of the truck revealed 12 black plastic bags and two canvas bags of marijuana totaling more than 354 pounds, worth about $885,000, according to court records.

“This was not an isolated incident, but a pattern of conduct that lasted several years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mygrant wrote to the court. “Defendant used his distribution network in non-legalized states such as Georgia and North Carolina to profit from black-market marijuana distribution.”

Koplin’s wife, Tina Marie Waterfield, 38, also pleaded guilty in the case to a charge of conspiring to commit money laundering. She used a PayPal account to receive thousands of dollars from out-of-state marijuana customers.

Immediately following her husband’s sentencing, Waterfield was ordered to spend five years on federal probation with a condition that she complete 200 hours of community service within the first three years. 

“Her conduct was less expansive than her husband but still significant,” Jarrett said.

Though prosecutors had sought 350 hours of community service for Waterfield, Waterfield successfully convinced the judge to reduce the hours to 200 after she said she cares for the couple’s two young children and has no other family to watch them while her husband serves his sentence.

Koplin and his wife were paid in cash by customers who sometimes shipped packages to them with the money stashed among household goods or magazines. Other times, the money was driven back to Oregon through a courier or delivered to a relative of Koplin’s in Georgia, prosecutors said. 

The couple’s bank accounts showed roughly $494,000 in unexplained deposits between 2013 and 2016, originating from Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia and Indiana.

On April 12, 2017, investigators executed a search warrant at Koplin and Waterfield’s residence. Investigators found marijuana plants, unprocessed cut marijuana, butane honey oil and $44,226 in U.S. currency. They also found packaging material, shipping material and equipment that could be used to make marijuana edibles. 

The judge ordered Koplin to begin serving his sentence on Jan. 28. Both Koplin and Waterfield were instructed that they can’t use, sell or possess marijuana or be present in a location where marijuana is sold or distributed while on federal supervision.