DENVER – Stephen Paul Anderson, age 27, of Arvada, Colorado, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello to serve one year in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for the manufacture of a schedule I controlled substance and the unlawful use of a communications facility, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Craig Goldberg announced. Anderson, who appeared at the sentencing hearing free on bond, was ordered to report to a facility designated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on August 25, 2016. He pled guilty before Judge Arguello on November 30, 2016. The defendant was sentenced on February 22, 2017.
According to court records, beginning in June 2015 through December 2015, Postal Inspectors identified at least 30 parcels that were sent by Anderson via U.S. Mail that were destined for Texas, New York and Maryland. Anderson often used the name, “The Healthnut” along with his Arvada return address in the mailings. During the course of the investigation, federal search warrants were obtained and revealed the parcels contained marijuana, marijuana edibles or other marijuana concentrate products.
In December 2015, Postal Inspectors, with the assistance of the West Metro Drug Task Force, executed another federal search warrant on Anderson’s residence and vehicle. That search revealed that Anderson had a marijuana grow and commercial grade propane and butane and manufacturing equipment used for THC extraction. Seized during the search were numerous marijuana plants in varying states of growth, numerous pounds of processed marijuana, edibles and concentrate as well as U.S. Postal Service mailing products.
Craig Goldberg, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said, “This case highlighted the dangerous methods used by those who attempt to extract oils from marijuana. When Inspectors searched Anderson’s workshop inside a private residence, they discovered multiple tanks of butane and propane, the highly-flammable fuels needed for extraction. These extraction methods create a significant risk for an explosion, potentially causing extensive property damage or injuries to nearby residents. Additionally, we want the public to know that Postal Inspectors will aggressively pursue anyone who attempts to use the Postal Service to facilitate drug trafficking. We do not want the U.S. Mail to be used to commit crimes, and we aim to keep illegal drugs out of the mail for the safety of our employees. The public should also be aware that although it may be legal to possess small amounts of marijuana in Colorado and certain other states, it is still a violation of federal law to ship marijuana via the U.S. Mail.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the West Metro Drug Task Force.
The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Boma.