Police make pot bust near North Whidbey Middle School

Police arrested a 21-year-old Oak Harbor man last week on suspicion of dealing marijuana in another joint operation between the Oak Harbor Police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The bust could mean an extended prison term for the suspect, Korey Jensen, because he was allegedly dealing out of an apartment within 1,000 feet of two schools, according to police.

Oak Harbor Police Detective Carl Seim said a confidential informant purchased marijuana from the suspect in multiple “controlled buys” over several weeks.

On Feb. 9, police officers served a search warrant on Jensen’s Kettle Street apartment. They found a safe containing about two ounces of pot. In addition, they seized a bong, a scale and baggies filled with “miscellaneous pills,” the detective said.

Seim said the two ounces of bud, which is worth between $400 to $600, appeared to be good quality with “a pretty strong odor.”

A police officer arrested Jensen at another location a short time later. The officer seized $466 in cash that Jensen was carrying, according to Seim.

Under state law, a drug dealer’s proximity to a school can increase a sentence for a drug delivery charge. If prosecutors can prove Jensen was dealing pot within 1,000 feet of North Whidbey Middle School, a mandatory two years would be added to his sentence, if he’s charged and convicted, according to the Oak Harbor Police Department.

Oak Harbor police and special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have worked together on a series of drug-related cases over the last year, resulting in a number of arrests.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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