2 men face trafficking felony for moving alleged hemp plants

Two men have been charged with trafficking marijuana into Idaho even though they say they were transporting immature hemp plants from one out-of-state farm to another.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports police in Ada County arrested Andrew D’Addario, of Colorado, and Erich Eisenhart, of Oregon, after an April traffic stop.

The two men were indicted by a grand jury in August. They pleaded not guilty to trafficking between 1 and 5 pounds (more than 450 and 2,000 grams) of marijuana.

A jury trial is set to begin Jan. 23. Their next scheduled court appearance is Jan. 15. If found guilty, under Idaho law, they face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says Idaho is one of only a few remaining states where industrial hemp is illegal. All states bordering Idaho have legalized hemp.