The judge said his concern was Trevino’s conduct under federal law.
“I fully recognize that the landscape has changed in many states in this country,” Maloney said.
“The fact is, marijuana is a Schedule 1 controlled substance.”
He noted that Congress has eliminated the mandatory minimum prison sentence for crack cocaine but has not acted on marijuana.
He said Trevino “had to know he was on the radar screens of federal authorities.”
The judge ordered Trevino to serve four years on supervised release once his prison term of 11 years ends. He also fined Trevino $11,000.
Mandatory sentencing guidelines seem to of played the major role in sentencing. It is shocking to learn that minimum sentencing for crack cocaine has been lifted federally while the minimum for cannabis has not. One might wonder exactly what federal case inspired such leniency for federal sentencing guidelines. Many public officials have found themselves facing these very charges and it is impossible not to connect those dots with some level of suspicion.
Racism is rampant and the federal authorities have shown no leniency towards Latinos like Danny in recent times. Whether or not this played a role is certainly on the minds of many of the family members and friends of Danny today.
Nobody belongs in jail for a plant and most people can agree with that statement in a nation where we have over 90 percent approval for medical marijuana. Over 30 states in this union have adopted some level of acceptance by passing legislation legalizing, decriminalizing, or in some way allowing patients to have access to this life saving medicine as well as recreational access. One guy is going down for 15 years while many other dispensary owners in Michigan have operated in similar ways and still do today in some areas of Detroit and other places. It is hard to imagine that Danny was not singled out.
Whatever the case may be, whatever the motivation is to put a loving father and hard working man like Danny Trevino in prison for 15 years......
May God Bless Danny, his young Daughter, his entire family, friends, and all those that have gone down this path before him. We can only hope, pray, wish, dream, and work towards an intelligent planet that is fueled by love and science to one day emerge from these dark times where anyone is treated so harshly over some cannabis.
Uncle Pete
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