A 24-year-old Lakeville man has pleaded guilty to transporting thousands of candy-like gummies laced with THC into Minnesota.
Austin J. Hagen entered his plea Friday in Dakota County District Court to felony second-degree drug possession.
A Lakeville police officer stopped him on Feb. 2 and caught a whiff of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The officer's search turned up eight plastic bins containing, in total, more than 99 pounds of gummies laced with concentrated THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
County Attorney James Backstrom estimated the street value of Hagen's haul at $40,000 to $50,000. "There appeared to [be] several thousand gummies in each container," the criminal complaint read.
Hagen was immediately sentenced by Judge Shawn Moynihan to 30 days in jail, with credit for four days served upon his arrest. He can ask the court to waive the jail time.
His sentence also includes five years' probation. Terms include chemical dependency treatment and no use of alcohol or illicit drugs.
The sentencing came under what is known as a "stay of imposition," meaning the felony count could be reduced to some level of misdemeanor on his record if he doesn't violate his probationary requirements.
