Two men plead guilty to possession of nearly 100 pounds of marijuana in Wichita County

Two Florida men caught with nearly 100 pounds of marijuana and more than 130 grams of hashish in Wichita County pleaded guilty to pot possession recently in 89th District Court, according to court records.

Thomas Arturo Cardona, 27, and Fabian Morales, 26, both of Florida, entered guilty pleas Thursday to possession of more than 50 pounds and less than 2,000 pounds of marijuana in connection with a traffic stop on Jan. 19, 2017, according to court records.

As part of a plea agreement, Cardona and Morales received six years of probation and a delayed finding of guilt.

If they successfully complete community supervision, the cases against them are expected to be dismissed.

The marijuana charge is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

A second felony charge of possession of more than 4 grams but less than 400 grams of hashish against the two men was dismissed. 

Thursday, Judge Charles Barnard also sentenced Cardona and Morales to each pay a fine of $1,000 and nearly $500 in court costs.

They must also each pay $180 in restitution, a supervision fee of $60 a month and a total of $50 to Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers.

The two men are required to work 240 hours free on a community service project or projects.  

A probable cause affidavit filed by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper gave this account:

The trooper saw a gray Nissan Altima with a California license plate speeding southbound on U.S. Highway 287.

Radar confirmed the car was going 77 mph in a 75 mph zone while traveling in the left lane without passing any other vehicle.

The trooper made contact with the vehicle with Cardona and Morales in it.

He asked Cardona to sit inside his patrol car. The trooper asked Cardona for consent to search the car, but he said no.

Upon request, a DPS canine and canine handler arrived at the scene. The dog alerted to the scent of narcotics.

Subsequently, a search of the car revealed three duffel bags and a suitcase. The duffel bags contained vacuum-sealed packages of pot and hashish.

The packages tested positive for marijuana. The marijuana weighed 94 pounds, and the hashish weighed 133.24 grams.

Cardona and Morales were arrested and transported to the Wichita County Jail. The car was towed.