Man Sentenced To Prison For Infusing Popular Cereals With THC
A Salem, Oregon resident by the name of Jered Hayward was sentenced to 156 months in prison for attempting to distribute 1,000 kilograms of marijuana via repurposed snacks. He must also forfeit over $2 million in assets made from his illegal operation.
Hayward ran a sizable THC and psilocybin facility in Salem, where he and his employees sprayed and infused brand names like Trix, Reese’s Puffs, and Fruity Pebbles with THC. He then sold them nationwide and internationally. The Oregon state U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Hayward with targeting minors because his THC-laced replicas appeared like the real thing. However, there was no evidence of him intentionally targeting minors.
Encrypted messages helped Hayward move edibles under the radar. He didn’t have a business license or any legal approval to sell the products — and this wasn’t his first brush with the law. With three prior drug offenses on record, Hayward is now also being ordered to forfeit the following assets:
- The Salem production facility
- More than $1 million in cash;
- $640,000 worth of cryptocurrency and bank account funds;
- More than $400,000 worth of gold and silver;
- Jewelry and a Rolex watch; and
- Twelve vehicles, two UTV’s, and boats.
