Marijuana advocates argue that the more legal it gets, the less pot-related crime we'll have. Decriminalization will wrest the drug from the hands of bad guys, including the cartels.

But that doesn't seem to jibe with the reality of now: Cartels' pot exports are as healthy as ever despite quasi-legalization in 16 or so states, and pot shops and medical marijuana suppliers continue to be victims of bloody crimes.

In Long Beach this week a Granada Hills husband-and-wife duo was charged in connection with …

]

… the alleged murder of 29-year-old medical marijuana broker Phillip Victor Williamson, according to Long Beach police.

Thirty-three-year-old Rosemary Sayegh and 28-year-old Marcel Mackabee were arrested last week in Chico, where Williamson based his pot brokerage. The L.A. County District Attorney's office charged Mackabee with one count of murder; his wife faced a charge of being an accessory to murder.

One clue, police argue, was a receipt found in Williamson's home from a Beverly Hills-area convenience store the day of the murder. After checking security video at the store cops determined that Mackabee “was the individual depicted.”

Long Beach detectives say the motive was robbery. Williamson's gunshot-riddled body was found March 24 in an alley in the 1500 block of Pine Avenue in LBC. According to a police statement, investigators …

… learned that [Williamson] may have had several pounds of marijuana and up to $500,000 in cash in his possession at the time of his death, both of which have yet to be recovered.

What would possess someone to kill for $500K? Gambling debt? Drug addiction? Housing crisis?

Police indicate that the two were “persons close to him that were part of his organization.” Williamson apparently bought weed from growers in the Chico area and distributed it to medical marijuana dispensaries throughout L.A. County.

Sounds like an alleged set-up to us.

Interestingly, cops say this isn't over: “It is anticipated that additional arrests will be made.”

Anyone with information on the case was asked to call detectives at 562-570-7244.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.