Preacher, Teacher, and Jared Fogle: How Fake Marijuana Was Sold in Indiana
Newspapers called it Indiana’s version of “Breaking Bad.” While that paints a vivid picture, it’s far from the truth. The real story didn’t involve group sex in a bathtub with bath salts, a fundamentalist preacher, or thousands of pounds of synthetic marijuana known only to a couple of now-former sheriff’s deputies. And Jared Fogle—the disgraced former Subway spokesperson and convicted child pornographer—wasn’t actually part of the drug ring.
Robert Jaynes, 46, a failed mortgage broker turned founder of a fundamentalist Bible church, was sentenced to 11.5 years in federal prison for producing and distributing over 10 tons of synthetic marijuana. According to the Indianapolis Star, he may have outdone Walter White himself.
The Details of the Case
According to prosecutors, from April 2011 to October 2013, Jaynes sold more than 500,000 packages of synthetic marijuana, or “spice,” for retail distribution. In just nine months of 2013, Jaynes made $2.6 million from the operation. He didn’t do it alone—23 people were prosecuted in connection with his case.
The Star’s investigation revealed Jaynes’ accomplices included two former sheriff’s deputies (both users of “spice”), his sister, a schoolteacher from Indianapolis, and a businessman who once sponsored an Indy 500 driver. There was even a clown who ran for office as a Libertarian (no comment).
How the Operation Was Uncovered
It all started in 2013, when Homeland Security agents began intercepting chemical shipments from China addressed to members of a local church. A search of one home led to a warehouse where church members were loading synthetic marijuana into a truck. The trail led to Jaynes, who initially claimed he thought selling “spice” was legal. Even after authorities caught on, he continued preaching for two years, driving a pickup truck with a Bible quote sticker: “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Inside the Church and Law Enforcement Connections
During this time, the group met at Jaynes’ home or his church in central Indiana. Former sheriff’s deputy Jason Wood was a regular at the church. Through Wood, Jaynes gained access to police vehicles (using a department SUV for his illegal business) and managed to avoid some legal trouble. When Jaynes moved locations, Wood provided a police escort, ensuring no officer would stop the preacher and discover his massive stash of synthetic marijuana supplies.
Wood and his wife Teresa, also a sheriff’s deputy, were arrested after Teresa’s mother reported that her daughter had brought a safe containing $88,000 in cash and 100 grams of bath salts to her house—apparently for spicing up their intimate life. The case is full of such details, and explaining everything would require a flowchart with footnotes. Since Jared Fogle’s name came up, it’s worth noting that Wood was friends with Russell Taylor, former director of the Jared Foundation. Wood, who met Jaynes at church, and Taylor, who also worked for the preacher, would get together to smoke synthetic weed. Taylor ended up in prison for child abuse charges, but was not involved in the spice operation.
The Motive Behind the Crime
There is one detail reminiscent of Walter White: Jaynes claimed he started selling synthetic drugs after a series of personal setbacks, including bankruptcy and his son’s open-heart surgery.