COLDWATER TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – A Coldwater Township man is facing a potential life sentence following a major drug raid by the Michigan State Police Marijuana Tobacco Investigation Section Thursday.
Detectives executed a residential search warrant at 133 North Centennial Road, where they allegedly uncovered a massive “black market” butane hash oil (BHO) laboratory.
According to court affidavits, investigators seized approximately 380.1 pounds of usable marijuana along with 14 mason jars of marijuana wax.
The defendant, 51-year-old Richard Daniel Joshua Hernandez, was taken into custody at the scene and lodged at the Branch County Jail after detectives determined he possessed nearly 600 times the legal limit allowed for residents without medical marijuana cards.
Hernandez appeared before Judge Brent R. Weigle in the Branch County District Court Friday to face a felony charge of delivery and manufacture of over 45 kilograms of marijuana.
During the proceedings, the court noted that Hernandez is being charged as a fourth-offense habitual offender, citing a criminal history dating back to 1992 with prior felony convictions in Isabella and Lapeer counties.
Due to this status, the standard 15-year maximum penalty for the drug charge could be elevated to life in prison. Judge Weigle set bond at $75,000 and imposed strict conditions, including random drug screenings and a total ban on possessing or consuming controlled substances and marijuana.
Hernandez, who is currently representing himself “in pro per” with assistance from a public defender, has been ordered not to leave the state of Michigan as a condition of his release.
He is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on May 19, 2026, followed by a formal examination on May 26 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to bind the case over to Circuit Court.
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