| Graphic: Senior Zen |
A 70-year-old eastern Kentucky man has been indicted on federal charges of growing marijuana with intent to distribute and illegally possessing firearms.
Federal prosecutors claim that Charles Edward Polly was growing at least 100 marijuana plants. They said he also had eight firearms, including four shotguns, reports Carl Keith Greene of the Corbin Times-Tribune.
Polly was also charged with intending to distribute “a mixture containing a detectable amount of marijuana,” whatever the hell that means.
The 70-year-old wasn’t supposed to have guns, and he had previously “been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.” Polly had weapons including two 12-gauge shotguns, one 20-gauge shotgun, one .410-gauge shotgun, two .22-caliber rifles, a .22-caliber revolver, and a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Polly, along with Ann Marie Smith, 40, of London, Ky., were also charged Wednesday with misrepresenting qualifications for Supplemental Social Security income.
Polly and Smith were taken to the Laurel County Jail by U.S. Marshals Wednesday night.
Penalties for Polly growing the marijuana could be as much as 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $2 million. If Polly has a prior felony drug conviction, he could get life in prison and up to a $4 million fine.
On the count of possessing a substance containing marijuana, the penalty could be five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. With a previous felony drug conviction the penalties could double.