An El Paso County man pleaded guilty in federal court last Thursday to charges of conspiracy to cultivate more than 100 marijuana plants.

Jose Carlos Garcia-Montero, 34, was traveling in Missouri in March 2017 when police stopped him. They found $176,600 in the vehicle’s spare tire, which they determined to be the profits from a marijuana scheme.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado described how Garcia-Montero would buy or rent residences in Colorado, plant cannabis and assist with the harvesting. The Drug Enforcement Administration obtained and executed warrants at homes in Peyton and Yoder in El Paso County. Altogether, they uncovered 247 marijjuana plants and 38 kilograms of processed marijuana.

Although marijuana is legal under Colorado law, residences generally have a limit of 12 plants. The drug is still outlawed at the federal level.

There were seven people whom prosecutors charged in the conspiracy, and Garcia-Montero’s was the fifth guilty plea. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 30.

In addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA, the El Paso County SWAT unit and the Colorado Springs Police Department were also involved in the search warrants.

According to the pro-legalization organization NORML, cultivation of between 100 and 999 plants is a felony with a penalty of between five to 40 years of incarceration and up to a $500,000 fine.