Feds charge 13 in Ohio scheme to ship pot with toilet paper

COLUMBUS (AP) — Federal authorities charged 13 people in an alleged scheme to sell tons of marijuana shipped to Ohio between packages of toilet paper.

Tony Marotta, the top Drug Enforcement Administration official in Columbus, says the nearly 8,000 pounds of marijuana found in two locations had a value of about $4 million.

The 13 defendants had initial appearances Monday in federal court on a preliminary charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 3,000 pounds of pot.

Marotta says about 6,000 pounds of marijuana was found hidden in a delivery of toilet paper rolls Saturday at a warehouse in Columbus.

He says another 2,000 pounds of the drug was found in a vacant condominium in suburban Hilliard.