Men Plead Guilty for Roles in Bi-Coastal Marijuana Distribution Ring

COLUMBIA –Jeremy David Grove, 30, Tyler James Durney, 36, both of Greenville, and Jaspal Singh Grewall, 40, of Anaheim, California, have all pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in a marijuana distribution conspiracy operating between the East Coast and California. On December 12, 2017, the men were charged in a seven-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. Section 846, conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1956(h) and conspiracy to structure financial transactions, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 371.

The men devised multiple schemes to pay for and to transport the California sourced high-grade marijuana to South Carolina for distribution, including the United States Postal Service and commercial carriers.  According to the indictment, beginning in November 2014, the defendants deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds into “funnel” bank accounts, in amounts at or under $10,000. The indictment alleges the transactions were designed to circumvent the bank’s reporting requirements and conceal the nature of the transactions and source of the money. During the plea hearings, the defendants admitted using multiple bank accounts in a coordinated manner to funnel the illicit bulk currency from South Carolina for immediate withdrawal in California.

As part of his plea agreement, Grewall has agreed to forfeit to the government $500,000 in cash plus property located in Vista, California. The maximum penalties for the defendants range from 5 to 20 years imprisonment, depending on the offense(s) of conviction. All three defendants await sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenville City Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Leesa Washington.