A May 23 trial date was confirmed Wednesday for a man accused of selling packages of marijuana that he allegedly stacked inside a Norco storage unit.
Guillermo Briseno Plancarte, 60, was arrested in 2016 following a Riverside County sheriff’s investigation that culminated in the seizure of the packaged cannabis and a felony charge of possession of marijuana for sale.
During a status hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Superior Court Judge Tamara Wagner scheduled trial proceedings for the last week of May after the prosecution and defense indicated they would be prepared to move forward at that time.
Plancarte is free on bond.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Justin Rowan, investigators from the Special Enforcement Team began monitoring the defendant’s activities in September 2016 after receiving information that he was possibly dealing narcotics. Enough evidence was gathered to justify a search warrant, Rowan said, 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,” the sergeant said.
Plancarte was taken into custody without incident 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.
A misdemeanor arrest warrant had been issued in August 2009. That case remains active and has been consolidated with the most recent one.