HAMILTON — A man accused of mailing 15 pounds of marijuana to himself could be paying a price higher than the cost of postage and air fare.

        “He would go out to California, buy drugs and mail them back (to Ohio),” Officer Dave Crawford, Hamilton police spokesman, said Friday.

        John Allen Collopy, 19, of Hamilton was arrested Thursday at an apartment in the 600 block of Main Street.

        Police say Mr. Collopy went to California and paid $46 in Express Mail fees to send the brown box, which contained the drug encased in red bubble wrap. He then flew home to await the delivery, police said.

        But a drug-sniffing dog detected the box's contents — 15 pounds of marijuana that has a street value of about $40,000 — and U.S. Postal Service authorities alerted Hamilton police.

        This year, Hamilton police have confiscated $200,000 worth of drugs being sent through the mail.

        Mr. Collopy was charged with felony possession of drugs, felony preparation of drugs for sale and two probation violations. Postal inspectors are considering filing federal postal violations, police said.

        Mr. Collopy could face a loss of his driver's license for six months to five years, a prison term of one to five years and a fine of up to $10,000 for each of the two counts.

        Mr. Collopy is free after posting $8,302 bond. He is scheduled for a May 11 preliminary hearing in Hamilton Municipal Court. Attempts to reach Mr. Collopy for comment were unsuccessful.

        Hamilton police say they arrested Mr. Collopy once before on a misdemeanor drug possession charge; the Butler County Sheriff's Office had arrested him in June on a charge of failing to appear in an undisclosed juvenile court case.

        Two other people at the Main Street address were arrested on misdemeanor charges, and police say more arrests could follow.

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