Promoter’s Pot Sentence

Promoter Dennis Cohen got a break on his sentence for possessing about 130 pounds of marijuana.

The former owner of Bay City Productions in Erie, Pa., is known for sponsoring the Wild Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival, We Love Erie Days and other events. He was sentenced to one to two years in prison for the pot conviction.

Cohen is already serving a three-years-to-life sentence in a New York state prison for an unrelated cocaine conviction. The Pennsylvania sentence is to run concurrently.

The promoter pleaded guilty to the pot charges last fall. He received the lighter sentence because of his cooperation with county and state law enforcement in the ongoing investigation.

State police discovered the huge stash of cannabis last April when they searched a storage locker rented by Cohen, his home and a camping trailer. Police also found a money-counting machine and $6,000 during the search.

Cohen’s New York bust was the result of an April traffic stop in which police found 10 ounces of cocaine.