USA - Man growing more than 8,000 marijuana plants charged

MICHIGAN (AP):

A man accused of growing more than 8,000 marijuana plants in rural Lane County has pleaded guilty in federal court.

Edwin Schmieding admits he was raising marijuana in the summer of 2011 in Rome Township. He faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison, although his attorney will argue for an exception.

The 62-year-old Schmieding pleaded guilty yesterday. His wife Linda also appeared in Detroit federal court, but is asking for more time to negotiate with prosecutors.

The sentence will be influenced by the quantity of marijuana. Defence lawyer Salford Schulman says Schmieding shouldn't be held responsible for more than 8,000 plants. He has an expert who says many plants were of poor quality.

Linda Schmieding has told authorities they were growing marijuana to sell for medicinal purposes.