El Cajon
An El Cajon man was found guilty Monday of manufacturing, possession and possession for sale of methamphetamine in connection with an illicit multimillion-dollar laboratory that was discovered next door to a school.
Mark Humphrey White, 29, was convicted by San Diego Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Zumwalt, who heard the case without a jury.
The judge remanded White, who had been free on a $127,000 property bond, to county jail over his attorney’s objections.
Sentencing was set for Aug. 24. Deputy Dist. Atty. Dave Lattuca said White could face a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months in state prison.
When White was arrested Sept. 11, the estimated value of the drugs seized was between $44 million and $120 million. It was one of the largest drug seizures in county history. The laboratory was at White’s residence at 1079 Merritt Drive, next door to Anza Elementary School in El Cajon.
The defense had only one witness, Richard Whalley, a forensic chemist, who examined the evidence and concluded that he saw “no evidence” of any manufacturing of the quantities of methamphetamine that were seized.
Zumwalt ordered White jailed immediately.
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