Pastor pleads guilty to trying to smuggle 280 pounds of marijuana
Published: Feb 9, 2018, 9:48 am • Updated: Feb 9, 2018, 9:48 am
By The Associated Press
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A former church pastor in Vancouver has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge for trying to smuggle more than 280 pounds of pot into the country from Mexico.
The Columbian reports 54-year-old John Bishop, who led the Living Hope Church for nearly 20 years, pleaded guilty to unlawful importation of a controlled substance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Southern California.
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Bishop was arrested Dec. 11 after he was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection while re-entering the country at San Ysidro, California.
A probable cause affidavit says an officer found packages hidden in a wheel well of Bishop’s car while conducting a routine inspection. The affidavit says officers who took apart the car found 105 packages weighing 281.88 pounds that field-tested positive for marijuana.
Bishop was released from federal custody Jan. 9 after posting a $25,000 bond.
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Information from: The Columbian
Topics: churches, religion, smuggling, trafficking
