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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels

Police seize bank records after UPS finds pot

Detectives are investigating a 20-year-old Spokane man for money laundering after they say he tried to mail a pound of marijuana to Missouri.

A search warrant authorizes detectives to access Johnathon A. Delay's Bank of America account, "and to seize any and all U.S currency located therein."

Delay was arrested last week on one felony charge of delivery of a controlled substance after a United Parcel Services employee smelled marijuana on a package he mailed. A police officer with the Spokane County Regional Drug Task Force posed as a UPS employee and told Delay to go to a UPS store to report the package stolen.

Investigators searched Delay's cell phone after his arrest and found pictures "of large quantities of u.s currency, as well as photographs depicting a large scale, indoor marijuana grow operation," according to a search warrant used to seize Delay's records with Bank of America.

"Detective McClary believes that photographs of this nature present on Delay's cell phone strongly suggest that he may be involved in the illegal growing and/or distributing of marijuana....(and) that drug traffickers often utilize bank accounts to collect drug debt over long distances quickly," according to the warrant.

Judge Sam Cozza authorized the warrant on Thursday. It was filed Friday in Spokane County Superior Court.



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