CA CA - Jeff Joseph, 45, Hoopa, 21 June 2014

[Lilibet]

Thank you for your comprehensive summary of this case. It's been a while since I delved into it. Regarding Jeff's connection to the drug trade, it might be worth noting that there were mentions of his involvement in advocacy efforts related to marijuana laws, possibly even aiding in medical marijuana access. Distinguishing between these endeavors and the broader implications associated with the term "drug trade" is crucial. Using such a term might inadvertently suggest connections to more nefarious activities which is not supported by the evidence as far as I remember, which could be misleading.

You make an interesting point regarding the use of the term “drug trade” and “nefarious” (wicked) activities in connection with Jeff’s endeavors. It’s certainly true that Jeff had a close connection to medical marijuana advocacy and access, which became legal in CA in 1997 IIRC, under very strict regulation.

Chronological history:

Medical Marijuana | Law Offices of Benjamin Okin

Medical marijuana is legal in California. If you have been charged with illegal possession, the firm can help you defend your charges if you have a medical card.

www.eurekacriminaldefenselawyer.com

But Jeff’s commercial activities and shop got him into big trouble in 2011, preceded by a large bust in 2009. It appears that he was not “playing by the rules” in effect at that time. Individual members may differ as to whether this counts as nefarious or civil disobedience or somewhere in between.

Pot Shop Owner Charged With Money Laundering - LA Weekly

The owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in L.A.'s Del Rey neighborhood has been charged with 24 counts, including money laundering, following last week's actions against 21 pot shops in the city of Los Angeles. The complaint against Jeffrey Joseph was filed Monday in Los Angeles, according...

www.laweekly.com

The Los Angeles City Attorney's office stated that Joseph's retail operation was targeted because the city had received complaints accusing the store of marketing its wares to children outside Culver City High School. Undercover “officers have found students to be in possession of marijuana apparently purchased from Organica,” according to the office.

All 21 of the pots shops targeted in abatement actions by the City Attorney's office last week, in fact, were the subject of complaints. Interestingly, the main legal weapon the office is using against all of them is that they sold medical marijuana over-the-counter. That's what pot dispensaries do, but the office maintains that California's medical marijuana law never intended to allow sales — it only outlined nonprofit, collective activities to get weed to the seriously ill.
BBM

Jeffrey Joseph, Convicted Pot Shop Owner, Missing in Marijuana Country - LA Weekly

An L.A. man on probation for running a rogue pot shop in Venice has gone missing in Northern California's marijuana country, his family says. The last known whereabouts of 45-year-old Jeffrey Keith Joseph was the Hoopa, California area of Humboldt County — the location of a cellphone tower that...

www.laweekly.com

Prosecutors also claimed that the dispensary did $400,000 a month in business and that, in one raid in 2009, 80 kilos of marijuana were found on-site.

As part of his sentence, Joseph was ordered to serve one year behind bars and then do five years of probation. (His sister says he was indeed still on probation despite a recent attempt to shorten that part of his punishment).

The judge also forbade him from “selling, serving, storing, keeping, manufacturing, cultivating or giving away marijuana.”

(More at link)
BBM

Regardless of how fair Jeff or anyone felt about the laws in effect before 2018, given this information, IMO it’s fair to say that Jeff was indeed involved in the “drug trade” as a money-maker under laws that prohibited that at the time. That doesn’t negate his efforts on behalf of medical marijuana or make Jeff any less worthy of being found, of course. But he was playing with fire if he was headed for a “farm” in Humboldt county (I used to live there). Even now that recreational marijuana is legal in CA (since 2018) it is still an extremely dangerous line of work because there continue to be plenty of illegal (unregulated) grows.

I don’t say any of this to trash Jeff’s memory. It’s simply reality. There are plenty of very nice people who have disappeared or been murdered in The Emerald Triangle under similar circumstances. Someone can have personally noble motives and still be involved in illegal and dangerous activity because of civil disobedience, if not greed. The trouble is, nefarious (wicked) people are also involved and can murder or disappear you. Here’s an example:

CA - CA - Rev. Leslie Crane, 39, Laytonville, 18 Nov 2005

Reverend Leslie Charles Crane Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Case# 05-3982 Date of birth: 4 February 1966 Place of birth: Norwich, CT White male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 210 pounds, brown hair and eyes. Leslie Crane moved to Mendocino County CA three years before his death. He sold out a...

www.websleuths.com

JMO

 

[Baddux]

You make an interesting point regarding the use of the term “drug trade” and “nefarious” (wicked) activities in connection with Jeff’s endeavors. It’s certainly true that Jeff had a close connection to medical marijuana advocacy and access, which became legal in CA in 1997 IIRC, under very strict regulation.

Chronological history:

Medical Marijuana | Law Offices of Benjamin Okin

Medical marijuana is legal in California. If you have been charged with illegal possession, the firm can help you defend your charges if you have a medical card.

www.eurekacriminaldefenselawyer.com

But Jeff’s commercial activities and shop got him into big trouble in 2011, preceded by a large bust in 2009. It appears that he was not “playing by the rules” in effect at that time. Individual members may differ as to whether this counts as nefarious or civil disobedience or somewhere in between.

Pot Shop Owner Charged With Money Laundering - LA Weekly

The owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in L.A.'s Del Rey neighborhood has been charged with 24 counts, including money laundering, following last week's actions against 21 pot shops in the city of Los Angeles. The complaint against Jeffrey Joseph was filed Monday in Los Angeles, according...

www.laweekly.com

The Los Angeles City Attorney's office stated that Joseph's retail operation was targeted because the city had received complaints accusing the store of marketing its wares to children outside Culver City High School. Undercover “officers have found students to be in possession of marijuana apparently purchased from Organica,” according to the office.

All 21 of the pots shops targeted in abatement actions by the City Attorney's office last week, in fact, were the subject of complaints. Interestingly, the main legal weapon the office is using against all of them is that they sold medical marijuana over-the-counter. That's what pot dispensaries do, but the office maintains that California's medical marijuana law never intended to allow sales — it only outlined nonprofit, collective activities to get weed to the seriously ill.
BBM

Jeffrey Joseph, Convicted Pot Shop Owner, Missing in Marijuana Country - LA Weekly

An L.A. man on probation for running a rogue pot shop in Venice has gone missing in Northern California's marijuana country, his family says. The last known whereabouts of 45-year-old Jeffrey Keith Joseph was the Hoopa, California area of Humboldt County — the location of a cellphone tower that...

www.laweekly.com

Prosecutors also claimed that the dispensary did $400,000 a month in business and that, in one raid in 2009, 80 kilos of marijuana were found on-site.

As part of his sentence, Joseph was ordered to serve one year behind bars and then do five years of probation. (His sister says he was indeed still on probation despite a recent attempt to shorten that part of his punishment).

The judge also forbade him from “selling, serving, storing, keeping, manufacturing, cultivating or giving away marijuana.”

(More at link)
BBM

Regardless of how fair Jeff or anyone felt about the laws in effect before 2018, given this information, IMO it’s fair to say that Jeff was indeed involved in the “drug trade” as a money-maker under laws that prohibited that at the time. That doesn’t negate his efforts on behalf of medical marijuana or make Jeff any less worthy of being found, of course. But he was playing with fire if he was headed for a “farm” in Humboldt county (I used to live there). Even now that recreational marijuana is legal in CA (since 2018) it is still an extremely dangerous line of work because there continue to be plenty of illegal (unregulated) grows.

I don’t say any of this to trash Jeff’s memory. It’s simply reality. There are plenty of very nice people who have disappeared or been murdered in The Emerald Triangle under similar circumstances. Someone can have personally noble motives and still be involved in illegal and dangerous activity because of civil disobedience, if not greed. The trouble is, nefarious (wicked) people are also involved and can murder or disappear you. Here’s an example:

CA - CA - Rev. Leslie Crane, 39, Laytonville, 18 Nov 2005

Reverend Leslie Charles Crane Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Case# 05-3982 Date of birth: 4 February 1966 Place of birth: Norwich, CT White male, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 210 pounds, brown hair and eyes. Leslie Crane moved to Mendocino County CA three years before his death. He sold out a...

www.websleuths.com

JMO

Thank you for the comprehensive background on Jeff Joseph's involvement and the legal context of his activities. Your insights provide a nuanced understanding of the complexities he might have faced, and I genuinely appreciate the depth of your research.

While the details surrounding his involvement in the marijuana industry are crucial, I believe it's also important for us to consider other potential scenarios. Given the various factors at play, such as the nature of his travel and the areas he was heading to, there are multiple possibilities that could have contributed to his disappearance. It might be an accident, a health issue, or something entirely unexpected.

Let's continue to pool our collective insights and approach this case with a broad perspective, ensuring we consider all plausible explanations. By doing so, we can best honor Jeff's memory and offer the most comprehensive understanding of his disappearance.

 

[Lilibet]

Thank you for the comprehensive background on Jeff Joseph's involvement and the legal context of his activities. Your insights provide a nuanced understanding of the complexities he might have faced, and I genuinely appreciate the depth of your research.

While the details surrounding his involvement in the marijuana industry are crucial, I believe it's also important for us to consider other potential scenarios. Given the various factors at play, such as the nature of his travel and the areas he was heading to, there are multiple possibilities that could have contributed to his disappearance. It might be an accident, a health issue, or something entirely unexpected.

Let's continue to pool our collective insights and approach this case with a broad perspective, ensuring we consider all plausible explanations. By doing so, we can best honor Jeff's memory and offer the most comprehensive understanding of his disappearance.

I certainly agree that Jeff could have disappeared in any number of ways. Although I think he would have been discovered if he had driven off the highway (299) into the river, a green car off the highway or a back road hidden by blackberries or other foliage is a possibility near the top of my list. The suspicious behavior of the people working on the property puts their activities at the top of my list, however. I admit being biased in that direction because of our experiences in Humboldt County over 40 years ago, which is why we left. It certainly hasn’t gotten better. But I’m open to any scenario that provides the answer we all seek.

 

[Baddux]

I certainly agree that Jeff could have disappeared in any number of ways. Although I think he would have been discovered if he had driven off the highway (299) into the river, a green car off the highway or a back road hidden by blackberries or other foliage is a possibility near the top of my list. The suspicious behavior of the people working on the property puts their activities at the top of my list, however. I admit being biased in that direction because of our experiences in Humboldt County over 40 years ago, which is why we left. It certainly hasn’t gotten better. But I’m open to any scenario that provides the answer we all seek.

That makes more sense now, I didn't realize you had first hand experience in the area. So murders for things like marijuana are consistent with outcomes in that area? Yes, the people on the property were suspicious weren't they. why did that come to a dead end if you know?

 

[Lilibet]

That makes more sense now, I didn't realize you had first hand experience in the area. So murders for things like marijuana are consistent with outcomes in that area? Yes, the people on the property were suspicious weren't they. why did that come to a dead end if you know?

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s before we left the area, it was not uncommon for drug dealers to come from the city to steal crops after harvest. Keep in mind that at that time growers were just families, but they were making lots of money. If the criminals came to the wrong property and didn’t believe you when you said you weren’t a grower, you could be killed. This happened to a local teacher. It happened less than a mile from our property to a guy with the same first name as my husband. Our friends were in a panic at first. The day before escrow closed on our property, our grower neighbor shot and killed two guys who came to steal her crop. Fortunately, our buyer didn’t back out. So it was the Wild West back then and it’s gotten worse.

I think the investigation into the people on the property fizzled out because they did not allow the sheriff onto the property Initially. And of course, no one is required to answer questions. I’d have to read back in the thread, but I think eventually the sheriff was able to get a search warrant, but found nothing helpful regarding Jeff.

This Netflix documentary is a pretty accurate portrayal of the situation in Southern Humboldt County where we lived. It’s definitely worth watching to understand why Jeff being murdered over marijuana is at the top of my list. We were surprised to see that the sheriff in the first couple of episodes had been a student of my husband’s in elementary school! If you read the thread, it’s quite an education!

Netflix: Murder Mountain

Netflix’s ‘Murder Mountain’: Where Marijuana Can Kill Netflix has an entire series about Humboldt County, CA, and the drug trade, "trimimmigrants", people who work in the drug industry. Definitely worth watching.

www.websleuths.com

 

[spyrocked]

Jeff's activities in Los Angeles were nothing short of revolutionary. He and I were two of the most brazen owners in the industry from 2006-2010. I do not believe his dispensary activity from that time has anything to do with him going missing.

I do however believe that the deal he was making the night he went missing is when he met his demise. That person has a violent past, and lied to the investigator about his last contacts with Jeff. He was set to pick up quite a few pounds, meaning he also had a nice chunk of cash on him.

The person he was going to see was on the run at the time from the police for a felony warrant. My guess is he made it to make the deal considering his phone last pinged a mile away from the guys house, and he was ambushed when he exited his vehicle.

Jeff's story will be a part of my film I am making about the murder of Les Crane, and possibly the next case I take on for our next documentary.

 

[Lilibet]

Jeff's activities in Los Angeles were nothing short of revolutionary. He and I were two of the most brazen owners in the industry from 2006-2010. I do not believe his dispensary activity from that time has anything to do with him going missing.

I do however believe that the deal he was making the night he went missing is when he met his demise. That person has a violent past, and lied to the investigator about his last contacts with Jeff. He was set to pick up quite a few pounds, meaning he also had a nice chunk of cash on him.

The person he was going to see was on the run at the time from the police for a felony warrant. My guess is he made it to make the deal considering his phone last pinged a mile away from the guys house, and he was ambushed when he exited his vehicle.

Jeff's story will be a part of my film I am making about the murder of Les Crane, and possibly the next case I take on for our next documentary.

I hope you don’t think I was implying that Jeff’s dispensary activity from 2006-2010 was directly involved in him going missing in 2014. I was clarifying the history, since he obviously had to deal with some sketchy characters during that time to operate at the level he did. And clearly dealing with those dangerous characters continued, as you point out. It was a very risky line of work, as the murders of Jeff and Les Crane make clear. And now that recreational use has been legalized, it’s still dangerous, even for those who have jumped through the government hoops to get permits to grow legally. Illegal grows outnumber the legal ones, accompanied by violence.

The reality of legal weed in California: Huge illegal grows, violence, worker exploitation and deaths

Illegal cannabis farms are engulfing parts of California and exploiting farmworkers who labor in squalid, deadly conditions, a Times investigation finds.

www.latimes.com

I certainly look forward to your films about Les and Jeff.

 

[spyrocked]

I hope you don’t think I was implying that Jeff’s dispensary activity from 2006-2010 was directly involved in him going missing in 2014. I was clarifying the history, since he obviously had to deal with some sketchy characters during that time to operate at the level he did. And clearly dealing with those dangerous characters continued, as you point out. It was a very risky line of work, as the murders of Jeff and Les Crane make clear. And now that recreational use has been legalized, it’s still dangerous, even for those who have jumped through the government hoops to get permits to grow legally. Illegal grows outnumber the legal ones, accompanied by violence.

The reality of legal weed in California: Huge illegal grows, violence, worker exploitation and deaths

Illegal cannabis farms are engulfing parts of California and exploiting farmworkers who labor in squalid, deadly conditions, a Times investigation finds.

www.latimes.com

I certainly look forward to your films about Les and Jeff.

I was merely stating my belief as to him operating the dispensary relating to him going missing. He also made flags and owned a clothing store in New Orleans, but that also I believe has nothing to do with him going missing. That was the only point I was making with respect to the mention of his dispensary activity.

I will tell you something I have highly considered for Jeff due to some very interesting events that went down.

Jeff and I both were clients of Elias/Elijah Sorokin, who would bring down pounds from the Northern California region to LA. One day in 2009 I got a call from Jeff, who had recently been raided by the feds, and he was asking me if I had seen Elijah lately, which I hadn't for a couple off weeks. What's odd is that Jeff never really called me, we would see each other at owners meetings, council meetings and raids, and his voice sounded nervous.

After the call I did a search on google for Elijah, and immediately saw he was missing. What's interesting about Elijah, was that just a month or so prior he had asked me for 200 pounds, which set off red lights to me big time. I literally hugged him and said, "Give me a hug, you are my first fed", to which he laughed nervously.

The news about Elijah was all over the place, and in the stories about a marijuana vendor was something very odd. The secret service and FBI were on the scene and involved in his missing person investigation, but why were they out there for a pot dealer? HIs killers were convicted even though no body was found by the time of trial, which it was later found.

So the one theory I have for Jeff going missing is he could have been placed in witness protection of some sort, not to do with Elias, but for something else he might have had knowledge of. Not saying this is likely from the facts of his disappearance, I just always found that phone call he made on behalf of Elias to have been coerced by the feds.

 

[Lilibet]

I was merely stating my belief as to him operating the dispensary relating to him going missing. He also made flags and owned a clothing store in New Orleans, but that also I believe has nothing to do with him going missing. That was the only point I was making with respect to the mention of his dispensary activity.

I will tell you something I have highly considered for Jeff due to some very interesting events that went down.

Jeff and I both were clients of Elias/Elijah Sorokin, who would bring down pounds from the Northern California region to LA. One day in 2009 I got a call from Jeff, who had recently been raided by the feds, and he was asking me if I had seen Elijah lately, which I hadn't for a couple off weeks. What's odd is that Jeff never really called me, we would see each other at owners meetings, council meetings and raids, and his voice sounded nervous.

After the call I did a search on google for Elijah, and immediately saw he was missing. What's interesting about Elijah, was that just a month or so prior he had asked me for 200 pounds, which set off red lights to me big time. I literally hugged him and said, "Give me a hug, you are my first fed", to which he laughed nervously.

The news about Elijah was all over the place, and in the stories about a marijuana vendor was something very odd. The secret service and FBI were on the scene and involved in his missing person investigation, but why were they out there for a pot dealer? HIs killers were convicted even though no body was found by the time of trial, which it was later found.

So the one theory I have for Jeff going missing is he could have been placed in witness protection of some sort, not to do with Elias, but for something else he might have had knowledge of. Not saying this is likely from the facts of his disappearance, I just always found that phone call he made on behalf of Elias to have been coerced by the feds.

Elias has a thread on Websleuths.

GUILTY - CA - Elias Sorokin, 29, Santa Cruz, 20 July 2009

http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10808301 29 July 09 The search for a missing man across California is focused on the Central Coast. Elias Sorokin disappeared more than a week ago and clues are leading police to Santa Cruz. Where his family says he was last seen on...

www.websleuths.com

That’s interesting about the FBI and Secret Service involvement in his investigation. We often hope here on Websleuths that a missing person is in witness protection, but I’m not aware that our hope has ever come true. It would be great if Jeff is the exception, though.

 

[Tee7077]

I was merely stating my belief as to him operating the dispensary relating to him going missing. He also made flags and owned a clothing store in New Orleans, but that also I believe has nothing to do with him going missing. That was the only point I was making with respect to the mention of his dispensary activity.

I will tell you something I have highly considered for Jeff due to some very interesting events that went down.

Jeff and I both were clients of Elias/Elijah Sorokin, who would bring down pounds from the Northern California region to LA. One day in 2009 I got a call from Jeff, who had recently been raided by the feds, and he was asking me if I had seen Elijah lately, which I hadn't for a couple off weeks. What's odd is that Jeff never really called me, we would see each other at owners meetings, council meetings and raids, and his voice sounded nervous.

After the call I did a search on google for Elijah, and immediately saw he was missing. What's interesting about Elijah, was that just a month or so prior he had asked me for 200 pounds, which set off red lights to me big time. I literally hugged him and said, "Give me a hug, you are my first fed", to which he laughed nervously.

The news about Elijah was all over the place, and in the stories about a marijuana vendor was something very odd. The secret service and FBI were on the scene and involved in his missing person investigation, but why were they out there for a pot dealer? HIs killers were convicted even though no body was found by the time of trial, which it was later found.

So the one theory I have for Jeff going missing is he could have been placed in witness protection of some sort, not to do with Elias, but for something else he might have had knowledge of. Not saying this is likely from the facts of his disappearance, I just always found that phone call he made on behalf of Elias to have been coerced by the feds.

Do you think Sorokin was killed because he was robbed or they knew he was a rat?

 

[spyrocked]

Do you think Sorokin was killed because he was robbed or they knew he was a rat?

Both are possibilities. I have requested a FOIA with all of my DEA records from that time, which would most likely give me info on possible informants and such, but they it's been nearly one and a half years and they have not filled my request.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Jeffrey Keith Joseph – The Charley Project

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Joseph, circa 2014; Toyota RAV4 similar to Joseph's

• Missing Since 06/20/2014
• Missing From Los Angeles, California
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 02/04/1969 (54)
• Age 45 years old
• Height and Weight 6'1 - 6'3, 200 pounds
• 
  
• Clothing/Jewelry Description Unknown, but he usually wears a hat.
• 
  
• Associated Vehicle(s) Green 1998 Toyota RAV4 with the Louisiana license plate number XMZ062 and a Louisiana State University sticker in the back window
• 
  
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Graying brown hair, brown/hazel eyes. Joseph is mostly bald, with sideburns and some hair on the back of his head towards the neck. His nickname is Jeff.

Details of Disappearance​

Joseph was last seen in Humboldt County, California on June 20, 2014. He was driving a green 1998 Toyota RAV4 with the Louisiana license plate number XMZ062 and a Louisiana State University sticker in the back window; a photo of a similar car is posted with this case summary. The vehicle has never been found.

A Louisiana resident, Joseph was driving from Los Angeles, California to a marijuana farm in Humboldt County. The area is the largest marijuana-growing region in the U.S. and is known as the Emerald Triangle.

Joseph himself used to own a marijuana dispensary in the Del Rey area of Los Angeles. He was charged in 2010 with selling marijuana illegally, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in jail and five years of probation. He was still on probation when he disappeared, and one of the requirements was that he have nothing to do with growing or selling marijuana.

Joseph's last known location was in the Hoopa area of Humboldt county; he made a cellular phone call on the morning of June 21 and his phone pinged off a phone tower there. Later that day, he missed a flight back to Louisiana. His family believes foul play was involved in his disappearance, which remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency​

• Los Angeles Police Department 213-996-1800

Source Information​

• California Attorney General's Office
• The North Coast Journal
• NamUs
• LA Weekly

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 14, 2018; casefile added.

 

[Pennysmom1]

July 25, 2014

Jeffrey Joseph, Convicted Pot Shop Owner, Missing in Marijuana Country - LA Weekly

An L.A. man on probation for running a rogue pot shop in Venice has gone missing in Northern California's marijuana country, his family says. The last known whereabouts of 45-year-old Jeffrey Keith Joseph was the Hoopa, California area of Humboldt County — the location of a cellphone tower that...

www.laweekly.com

Feb 26, 2015

$10,000 Reward for Information About Missing Man Jeff Joseph

lostcoastoutpost.com

 

[renaebri]

Bump, 10 years today.

 

[Lilibet]

Bump, 10 years today.

Thank you for remembering. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long! I’m sure it feels like an eternity to his family and friends.