A 60-year-old man who sold marijuana that he kept in a Norco storage unit pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of controlled substances for sale and was immediately sentenced to three years probation.
Guillermo Briseno Plancarte was originally charged with felony distribution of marijuana for sale, but under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, the count was reduced to a misdemeanor.
Superior Court Judge O.G. Magno certified the plea agreement and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense. In addition to probation, Magno ordered Plancarte to serve 20 days home detention, wearing an ankle bracelet to enable law enforcement to monitor his whereabouts.
The defendant was arrested in 2016 following a sheriff’s investigation that culminated in the seizure of the packaged cannabis. Plancarte immediately posted bond and remained free for two years while the case was repeatedly bumped from the court docket, awaiting disposition.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Justin Rowan, investigators from the Special Enforcement Team began monitoring the defendant’s activities in early September 2016 after receiving information that he was possibly dealing narcotics. Enough evidence was gathered to justify a search warrant, and on Sept. 22, deputies executed the warrant at a storage facility in the 2000 block of Second Street, where Plancarte leased a single unit.
“During the operation, deputies seized a large quantity of marijuana individually packaged for sale,” Rowan said.
Plancarte was taken into custody that afternoon.
At the time, the defendant had an unresolved misdemeanor case for allegedly driving on a revoked license related to a prior driving under the influence conviction, according to court records. That case ultimately was dismissed based on legal technicalities.