By Ellie Callinan, For The Miami Student
Oxford resident Kyle Fledderman was expecting to receive packages containing four pounds of marijuana last week. The marijuana, sent via United States Postal Service, never made it to its owner. It was intercepted by the Oxford Police Department (OPD).
Fledderman, 25, was arrested Thursday, March 26, after receiving marijuana from Colorado. He was charged with drug trafficking and possession.
According to OPD Sgt. Jon Varley, Fledderman drove out to Colorado, where marijuana can be legally purchased at dispensaries across the state. He purchased the drugs and shipped them back to Oxford to be picked up at the local Post Office.
Fledderman initially attracted police attention when he was completing his cross-country trip home from Colorado.
"He was stopped in Kansas by a Kansas State Patrol because his rental car plates didn't match the car," Varley said.
After receiving consent to search the vehicle, they found marijuana paraphernalia and a receipt with the tracking number for parcels of drugs that Fledderman sent to himself.
The trooper photographed the receipt and contacted the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The state officers informed Varley and the rest of the Oxford Police Department about the incoming packages.
The police took a proactive approach to prevent Fledderman from receiving the marijuana packages. However, local police departments do not always receive warnings of drug trafficking incidents.
Concurrent with the increase of states legalizing marijuana, the frequency of state-to-state drug transferences has escalated dramatically. A charge of drug trafficking, defined as the manufacturing, transportation, selling or distribution of illegal drugs, can lead to serious consequences.
According to the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area's report, "The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado," the Centennial State has experienced a 397 percent increase in marijuana trafficking interceptions from the years 2008 to 2013. This extreme percentage stems from the state's legalization of the drug in November 2012.
Varley said he wouldn't be surprised if more instances of cross-state drug delivery went undetected.
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"I'm sure it happens more often than we think it does, and I don't believe that this is [Fledderman's] first time doing this," Varley said.
In its report, Rocky Mountain HIDTA also stated that in 2014, approximately 100 drug trafficking experts estimated that on average, about 90 percent of all drug trafficking packages fail to be intercepted by the police force.
When trafficking activity crosses state lines, the offense becomes federal government concern, and the punishments are more severe.
According to Varley, Fledderman has not yet been tried for his charges. His trial may not begin for a couple of months, since his prosecutions will be federally sanctioned. Varley suspects that if this is not his first offense with drugs,
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