Marijuana entrepreneur killed in fiery Lamborghini crash was drunk, autopsy finds

The founder of a San Diego County hemp products empire who died in a fiery Lamborghini crash in November had a blood-alcohol content that was more than twice the legal limit, an autopsy has found.

Michael Llamas, 33, was speeding north on Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego when he lost control and veered off the road near Broadway about 2 a.m. on Nov. 5. The 2016 Lamborghini he was driving struck a palm tree, then burst into flames.

Llamas died before he could be taken to a hospital.

According to his autopsy report, his blood alcohol level was between 0.17 and 0.20. The legal limit for drivers in California is 0.08.

He died of burns and smoke inhalation, the report read.

His passenger, a Tijuana model named Stephanie Rivera, was also drunk at the time of the crash, according to her autopsy report. She was ejected in the crash and died of her injuries two days later.

Llamas, of San Diego, founded Medical Marijuana Inc. in 2009. The firm has claimed that it may be the first in the cannabis industry to find a legal loophole allowing it to sell CBD — cannabidiol — products online and ship worldwide.

He served as CEO of the company until he stepped down in 2012 after being indicted in a mortgage fraud case. He was a month away from being sentenced when the crash happened.

Llamas was also involved in four local civil cases involving an assortment of marijuana- and hemp-related businesses.

A friend told a medical examiner investigator that Llamas was not depressed or suicidal, the autopsy read.

Winkley writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune