NEWBURYPORT — When a Maine man traveled to Newburyport District Court to be arraigned on charges of illegal marijuana possession and driving without a license, he did so with roughly 90 pounds of marijuana products in his sport utility vehicle, according to court records.
Following his initial arraignment Wednesday, Yves Duboc, 43, of Biddeford was released on personal recognizance and ordered by Judge Allen Swan to stay out of trouble with the law and not to drive.
In the courtroom was state police Trooper Michael Provost, who serves as the Newbury barracks’ prosecutor. He observed that Duboc was sitting by himself in the gallery, and guessed that he may have driven himself to court despite his license being suspended.
Provost followed Duboc and saw him getting into a Toyota SUV with Florida license plates.
Duboc then drove out of the court parking lot with Provost following him in his marked cruiser.
Provost quickly pulled Duboc over on Parker Street while heading toward the city’s industrial park and arrested him on a charge of operating without a license.
After handcuffing Duboc and securing him in the rear of his cruiser, Provost conducted searched the SUV prior to it being towed.
He found plastic baggies, a bong, two large vacuum-sealed bags and two duffel bags filled with marijuana, five large jars of extract of THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis), and a large roll of $20 bills secured with a rubber band.
In total, Duboc was trafficking more than 70 pounds of marijuana and 20 pounds of marijuana extract, according to state police.
Duboc was transported to the Newbury barracks for booking before being driven back to the Newburyport courthouse to be arraigned on the new charges: marijuana trafficking between 50 and 100 pounds, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
This time, Swan ordered him held on $15,000 cash bail. He is to return to court July 15 for a pretrial hearing.
During booking, Duboc told Provost he buys marijuana from local growers and then brings it to a THC processing plant where oil is extracted. That oil is used in marijuana edibles. Duboc said the oil in the jars were the finished product and that he was going to sell them to manufacturers.
“He stated that he had the duffel bags in the Toyota because he was going to be dropping them off at the processing plant,” Provost wrote in his report.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
Dave Rogers is a reporter with the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.Â
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