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Police seize 3 pounds of pot

Investigators say an Oregon man was trying to build a Wisconsin client base for distributing marijuana when they arrested him in Iola.

Andrew W. Patterson, 49, is charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, drug trafficking, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

On Jan. 4, Special Agents Steve Lewis and Ryan Dobbs, with the state Division of Criminal Investigation, received a tip that Patterson was visiting relatives on County Trunk P in rural Iola.

Their source said Patterson had shipped a parcel containing a substantial amount of marijuana from Eugene, Oregon, to Iola. The parcel was expected to arrive on Jan. 7.

The source also told state investigators that Patterson had two potential customers in the area who were willing to pay $4,000 per pound for the pot.

According to the criminal complaint, Patterson would have made $2,600 to $2,800 profit per pound.

On Thursday, Jan. 7, Dobbs intercepted the parcel at a transfer center. A dog alerted for the presence of drugs and the parcel was opened.

Inside, investigators report finding nearly three pounds of high-grade marijuana.

Posing as a parcel carrier, Lewis delivered the package to the address on County P.

After Patterson took delivery of the package, the Waupaca County SWAT team executed a no-knock search warrant on the residence.

When they entered the home, officers found the occupants smoking pot, the complaint says.

Investigators also reported that Patterson planned to sell some of the pot to an Oshkosh resident and give part of it to his Iola relative, who would sell to his friends.

Patterson was released from custody on a $1,000 cash bond with the condition that he not leave Wisconsin without the court’s permission. He must also reside with his father in Plainfield.

Patterson faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

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