Crime & Safety
Hearing Postponed for Man Accused of Mailing Marijuana from His La Jolla Boulevard Home
Chris Gillen and his older brother, Kyle, along with Matthew Schneider, Chris Huntsman and Mitchell Morris, all pleaded guilty to money laundering and drug charges.
A preliminary hearing was postponed today until Thursday for a Pacific Beach man accused of involvement in a lucrative marijuana distribution business that sent deliveries via the U.S. Postal Service.
Chris Gillen, 25, was arrested in May at his home in the 4900 block of La Jolla Boulevard, following a yearlong investigation by the U.S. Postal Service and the Southwest Border Anti-Money Laundering Alliance's Team ONE, which includes Chula Vista police. The defendant is charged with money laundering and drug counts.
Gillen's older brother, Kyle, along with Matthew Schneider, Chris Huntsman and Mitchell Morris, all pleaded guilty to the same charges and are scheduled to be sentenced next month.
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In July 2012, the U.S. Postal Service started intercepting money packages coming back from San Diego from the East Coast, according to Deputy District Attorney Stacey McReynolds.
About 150 pounds of marijuana were sent in all and more than 400 marijuana plants were discovered at a warehouse in San Diego upon the defendants' arrests, the prosecutor said.
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She said a pound of marijuana sells for about $6,000 on the East Coast, compared with $1,500 to $2,000 in San Diego.
—City News Service
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