KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Kansas City, Mo. man who played a role in a marijuana conspiracy from Colorado to Kansas City, Mo. pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court.
Coty D. Hollaman, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of participating in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana in the Kansas City area.
Investigators discovered that Hollaman would travel with another man to Colorado to purchase pounds of marijuana from a source for between $1,600 and $2,400 per pound.
At times the Colorado source would not have enough marijuana available to sell, at which point the source – for a $100 fee – would find other sources in Colorado to sell Hollaman the marijuana.
But there was a catch: A fourth-man, who previously used the Colorado source to obtain marijuana to sell in Kansas City, took a $100 per pound fee on all the marijuana Hollaman and the other man brought to Kansas City.
As the conspiracy grew, so did the amount of money needed to keep the operation growing.
A fifth man, identified as Jeremy Bond, was charged last August for his role in the conspiracy.
Court documents allege that Bond wanted in on the operation and invested $10,000. In return, Bond received $1,000 per week in interest and free marijuana until the original principal was paid back in full.
With the infusion of cash, Hollaman and the other man were able to purchase larger quantities of marijuana from Colorado, with later trips netting the pair 20 pounds per trip.
Court records show the cases against the other men involved in the conspiracy continue.
A sentencing hearing for Hollaman has not been set, but he faces up to five years in federal prison without parole.
