Los Dahda, left, and Roosevelt Dahda, jail mugshots.

Kansas City, Kan. ? A case complex from the start — $17 million, 43 defendants, thousands of pounds of marijuana — concluded with closing arguments rife with analogies. Now, a 12-member jury must decide the fate of two Lawrence twins and their California associate who have been standing trial in federal court since April.

“What we have in this case was a sort of spider web,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead told the jury Thursday. “Oh what a tangled web we have wove.”

Lawrence twins Los Rovell Dahda and Roosevelt Rico Dahda, and Justin Pickel, a California resident and 1998 Lawrence High graduate, stand charged with conspiracy for their alleged involvement in a marijuana network dating from 2005 to 2012 that involved transporting at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, primarily from California back to Kansas. If convicted, each faces 10 years to life in federal prison. Los Dahda is also charged with continuing a criminal enterprise for allegedly committing multiple drug violations in concert with others and serving as an organizer or manager for at least five codefendants. He faces 20 years to life if convicted.

On Thursday, Morehead and the defense sparred before the jury over what constitutes a single, overarching conspiracy. Morehead said all she needed to prove a conspiracy was a finding that two or more people entered into an agreement or understanding to violate drug laws. Attorneys for all three defendants maintained that there was instead a series of smaller conspiracies formed over the years after various disputes among codefendants.

“When you have multiple conspiracies, you don’t have one conspiracy,” said Richard Johnson, Los Dahda’s attorney. “And if you don’t have one, he’s not guilty.”

Lawrence businessman Chad Bauman, a codefendant who pleaded guilty and testified during the trial, has been a major player since the case’s early stages and estimated this week that he distributed up to 4,500 pounds of high-grade marijuana from California valued at approximately $14.5 million. Morehead said that the conspiracy began with Olathe entrepreneurs Peter Park and Wayne Swift — also Kansas University alumni — around 2005 and that they soon started selling marijuana supplied by Canadians to whom they were still paying off a debt at the end of the case in 2012. Any player who joined between those years was legally responsible for what transpired before or after, Morehead said. She even used a Royals analogy, citing third baseman Mike Moustakas’ demotion earlier this year to the minor leagues and his subsequent return.

“Whatever those wins and losses were when he was gone, they were his,” she said.

The Dahdas and Pickel are also each charged with numerous cellphone, possession and distribution crimes and the Dahdas are also charged with distributing or intending to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school (Haskell Indian Nations University) and playground (Holcom Sports Complex). Los Dahda is also charged with maintaining a drug premise for allegedly having sold marijuana to an informant at the former Grandaddy’s BBQ, 1447 W. 23rd St., while the business was closed.

Johnson took issue Thursday with what he saw as discrepancies in evidence and theories presented by the prosecution and testimony from witnesses. When Pickel was pulled over by Nebraska state troopers in April 2012, Johnson said investigators believed the 38 pounds of marijuana reportedly seized from his truck was destined for Kansas. But other evidence suggested it was bound for Chicago. Johnson also recalled testimony from codefendants that when multiple sources of cash were driven to California, it would be for separate transactions and not to pool money together for larger loads of marijuana as once thought.

“They fired the bullet and drew the target after,” Johnson said of the prosecution.

Mark Bennett, Roosevelt Dahda’s attorney, concentrated on attacking the credibility of the 16 codefendants to testify in the case in exchange for plea deals, using a quote by the late writer H.L. Mencken: “It is hard to believe a man is telling the truth when you would lie if you were in his place,” Bennett repeated.

Pickel’s attorney, Henri Watson, said Pickel’s involvement in the case only was with the Dahdas and that it was limited to poor attempts at growing marijuana in his California home.

“Even Los knew he had chosen the wrong person to grow marijuana,” Watson said.

The case was handed over to the jury for deliberation just after 4 p.m. Deliberations will continue Friday morning.