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Marijuana

750 Pounds Of Marijuana Worth $1.5M Found In Randolph Sting, Duo Busted: Police 750 Pounds Of Marijuana Worth $1.5M Found In Randolph Sting, Duo Busted: Police
750 Pounds Of Marijuana Worth $1.5M Found In Randolph Sting, Duo Busted: Police Two Braintree men were busted with more than 750 pounds of marijuana following a months-long investigation in Randolph, authorities announced on Wednesday, Jan. 17.  Mukunda Znajmiecka, age 37, and Clifford Saint-Jean, age 25, face multiple felonies in the case, Randolph police announced. A 34-year-old Braintree man, who is linked to the operation but was not identified, was given a summons to court for violating drug laws.  Police began investigating Znajmiecka and Saint-Jean months ago and raided multiple stash houses in Randolph and Braintree on Jan. 11, authorities s…
Traffic Stop Helps Troopers Solve Central Mass Armed Robbery: Police Traffic Stop Helps Troopers Solve Central Mass Armed Robbery: Police
Traffic Stop Helps Troopers Solve Central Mass Armed Robbery: Police An accused armed robber made things very easy for Massachusetts state troopers this week when he left enough evidence to link him to the crime in his illegal vehicle, authorities said.  Eddie Colon, 18, of Fitchburg, is accused of robbing a Cumberland Farms store in Fitchburg Tuesday night, Feb. 21, state troopers said.  Troopers pulled over Colon's Nissan Altima in a Sears parking lot in Leominster on Wednesday morning because he didn't have a tag on the front of the car, authorities said. When police pulled over the sedan, they noticed the driver frantically reaching around in t…
Suspected Crack Dealer Shot At Chicopee Cops During Raid: Police Suspected Crack Dealer Shot At Chicopee Cops During Raid: Police
Suspected Crack Dealer Shot At Chicopee Cops During Raid: Police Police said a suspected crack dealer shot at them as they tried to break down his front door during a raid this week.  Austin Colson faces 14 weapon and drug charges stemming from the Tuesday, Dec. 20, raid at his Belcher Street apartment, Chicopee police said.  Police officials said Chicopee narcotics officers and FBI agents with the gang task force knocked on Colson's door and announced their intentions, but after he refused to answer, they started to batter it down. That's when they heard a gunshot from inside the house, authorities said, and then the heavy footsteps of a man r…
899 Bags Of Fentanyl, Cocaine Found On Group, Including Mass. Man During PA Traffic Stop 899 Bags Of Fentanyl, Cocaine Found On Group, Including Mass. Man During PA Traffic Stop
899 Bags Of Fentanyl, Cocaine Found On Group, Including Mass. Man During PA Traffic Stop A Massuchesetts man, a woman, and two men from Pennsylvania were arrested after a traffic stop led police to discover hundreds of packets of fentanyl and cocaine among other illicit items.  Officers pulled over the group's vehicle in the 300 block of New Holland Avenue in Lancaster City on Monday, Dec. 12 at 10:30 p.m. During a search of the vehicle the police found and seized these items: 899 packets of fentanyl. 33.8 grams of crack and powder cocaine. 46.4 grams of marijuana. Multiple types of drug paraphernalia. One unlawfully possessed handgun. All four people in the car were arr…
Biden To Pardon Everyone Convicted On Federal Marijuana Possession Charges In Historic Move Biden To Pardon Everyone Convicted On Federal Marijuana Possession Charges In Historic Move
Biden To Pardon Everyone Convicted On Federal Marijuana Possession Charges In Historic Move In a historic move, President Joe Biden announced he is pardoning all of those with prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana.  The White House announced the marijuana reform on Thursday, Oct. 6 during Biden's visit to the Hudson Valley at an IBM facility in Poughkeepsie, saying he has directed Attorney General Merrick Garland to develop an administrative process to issue certificates of pardon to individuals who are eligible. Biden said thousands of people with federal convictions for marijuana possession have had their lives upended.  "Criminal records for m…
Pittsfield Man Sentenced For Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Pittsfield Man Sentenced For Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy
Pittsfield Man Sentenced For Multi-Drug Trafficking Conspiracy A 54-year-old man from Western Massachusetts was sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Berkshire County resident Edward Chapman, of Pittsfield, was sentenced on Thursday, March 10, to 11 years in prison and eight years of supervised release, according to an announcement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. In March of 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone, and …
CT High School Student Overdoses On Suspected Marijuana Laced With Fentanyl, Police Say CT High School Student Overdoses On Suspected Marijuana Laced With Fentanyl, Police Say
CT High School Student Overdoses On Suspected Marijuana Laced With Fentanyl, Police Say Police are investigating after a student allegedly overdosed on fentanyl-laced marijuana at a Connecticut high school. The incident took place around 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 3, in Hartford County in Bloomfield when police responded to Bloomfield High School for a medical call. According to Lt. James Salvatore, of the Bloomfield Police, when officers arrived they found a 16-year-old student in the security officer suffering from an apparent drug overdose. Officers and school staff provided first aid to the student including administering multiple doses of “Narcan” to help rev…
CT Man  Admits To Fentanyl Distribution Charge CT Man  Admits To Fentanyl Distribution Charge
CT Man Admits To Fentanyl Distribution Charge A Connecticut man has admitted to distributing fentanyl following a lengthy investigation by police in Hartford County, authorities announced. US Attorney Leonard Boyle announced that Rocky Hill resident Sean Thomas, age 32, has pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. An investigation was launched in 2020 as police in Hartford investigated Thomas and other alleged dealers for distributing fentanyl and marijuana. Prosecutors said that as part of the investigation, an undercover officer purchased marijuana from an employee at Puff Par…
Attempted Break-In Report Leads To DUI, Narcotics Bust, Cash Seizure, CT State Police Say Attempted Break-In Report Leads To DUI, Narcotics Bust, Cash Seizure, CT State Police Say
Attempted Break-In Report Leads To DUI, Narcotics Bust, Cash Seizure, CT State Police Say A report of an attempted break-in in Connecticut led police to arrest a 25-year-old on charges of driving under the influence and possession of drugs. Troopers responded to a report of an individual possibly breaking into a Litchfield County home in Roxbury at about 11:45 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 27, according to Connecticut State Police. State Police were given a description of a white Chevy pickup and a male suspect leaving the scene, authorities said. Troopers located the Chevy traveling on Garnet Road and pulled it over, police said.  The driver, identified as Samuel Jones, of Bridge…
Plumbing Business Was A Front For Large-Scale Marijuana Cultivation Plumbing Business Was A Front For Large-Scale Marijuana Cultivation
Plumbing Business Was A Front For Large-Scale Marijuana Cultivation A man who created a fake plumbing business as a front for an illegal, large-scale marijuana growing operation has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. On Tuesday, March 2, Thomas Laverty, 40, of Clinton, was sentenced on prior drug, money laundering, and fraud convictions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts, said. According to court documents, Laverty, along with co-conspirators, created the phony plumbing business Chuck Laverty & Son Inc., as a cover to grow weed. Laverty and others used the plumbing business’ bank accounts and locations to facilitate growing, storing and dist…
TREND: Fourth Large-Scale Marijuana Farm, With NYC Ties, Is Busted In Western Mass TREND: Fourth Large-Scale Marijuana Farm, With NYC Ties, Is Busted In Western Mass
Trend: Fourth Large-Scale Marijuana Farm, With NYC Ties, Is Busted In Western Mass For the fourth time in about six months, men from Brooklyn have been busted in Western Massachusetts for allegedly growing mass quantities of marijuana. On Monday, Jan. 11, around 8 a.m., police responded to a report of a possible fire with smoke coming out from the eaves of a roof at 24 West St. in Belchertown. When firefighters entered the home to investigate, they allegedly found a large-scale marijuana growing operation, WesternMass News is reporting. After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement allegedly seized more than 800 marijuana plants, growing equipment, and $2,500. Huoq…
Police Arrest Teen Allegedly Drinking, Driving, And Planning To Sell Marijuana Police Arrest Teen Allegedly Drinking, Driving, And Planning To Sell Marijuana
Police Arrest Teen Allegedly Drinking, Driving, And Planning To Sell Marijuana A 19-year-old allegedly found driving with open beer bottles and marijuana in an unregistered car has been released on $240 cash bail. On Sunday, Dec. 20, around midnight, police stopped a motor vehicle in Dudley. While talking to the driver, Leonardo Hernandez, 19, of Southbridge, police allegedly observed open and unopened beer bottles, police said. Hernandez allegedly confessed to drinking while driving, police said. Upon further investigation, police allegedly found marijuana, 50 plastic baggies, a digital scale, $368 in cash, and other paraphernalia consistent with drug distribution, …
Special-Needs/Weed CEO Is Accused Of Stealing $50,000 From Taxpayers Special-Needs/Weed CEO Is Accused Of Stealing $50,000 From Taxpayers
Special-Needs/Weed CEO Is Accused Of Stealing $50,000 From Taxpayers A marijuana entrepreneur who owns a Connecticut vocational center for people with special needs is facing fraud charges. Karen Gaston, 39, of East Granby, was charged in Connecticut on Tuesday, Sept. 22 with larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, health insurance fraud, and criminal attempt to commit larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, according to Connecticut’s Division of Criminal Justice. Gaston is the owner of Elegant Clinical Corporation in East Windsor, a nonprofit that seeks to provide vocational education to people with special needs…
Teen Missing For Over A Year Discovered With 50 Pounds Of Marijuana Teen Missing For Over A Year Discovered With 50 Pounds Of Marijuana
Teen Missing For Over A Year Discovered With 50 Pounds Of Marijuana Police discovered a teen who had been missing for more than a year and 50 pounds of marijuana following a report of shots fired near a playground. On Friday, Sept. 25, Sudbury Police responded around 2:30 p.m. to a report of someone possibly firing a handgun in an apartment parking lot complex on Boston Post Road. When police arrived they allegedly found a bunch of people in a vehicle taking turns to fire a replica gun, police said. In plain sight, officers allegedly saw a large amount of marijuana in the car, police said, as well as scales, money, and boxes of THC edibles. “Not only did…
Soda, Chips, Weed? Marijuana Vending Machines Coming To Massachusetts Soda, Chips, Weed? Marijuana Vending Machines Coming To Massachusetts
Soda, Chips, Weed? Marijuana Vending Machines Coming To Massachusetts It’s not the kind of vending machine you see every day in Massachusetts. Coming this fall, the state will see its first marijuana vending machines go into action. Boston-based anna is rolling out 14 pot vending machines among its MassachusettsMassachuseetts and Colorado locations. Through the vending machines, customers will be able to browse in-store items with a touchscreen. But before a person can use one of the vending machines, the staff will check their driver’s licenses and approve payment methods. The vending machines can hold up to about 2,000 products each. It is not clear whi…
Fried Electric Wires Lead To Weed Worth $3 Million In Western Mass Fried Electric Wires Lead To Weed Worth $3 Million In Western Mass
Fried Electric Wires Lead To Weed Worth $3 Million In Western Mass Thousands of marijuana plants worth millions of dollars were discovered in Savoy after a power company went out to fix an electrical issue in the area. As the Eversource employees tried to gain access to the Jackson Road property, a man allegedly stuffed an envelope full of $100 bills into one of the employee’s pockets and shooed them away, police said. Yebin Mai, 28, of Staten Island, New York; and Bin Huang, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, were arrested on probable cause related to the large-scale marijuana grow operation, police said. The weed police found at the Savoy grow house has a stree…
Mega Marijuana Greenhouse Proposed For Western Mass Mega Marijuana Greenhouse Proposed For Western Mass
Mega Marijuana Greenhouse Proposed For Western Mass A major Western Massachusetts potato farmer is seeking to grow buds as well as spuds. Bernie Smiarowski, of the 500-acre Smiarowksi Farm, has plans to build a 100,00-square-foot marijuana greenhouse on the Hatfield, Whatley town line. For reference, 100,000 square feet is about the same size as six hockey rinks put together.  The town of Hatfield is holding a public hearing on Smiarowski’s request for a special permit from the Planning Board to build the greenhouse, as well as a small “headhouse” at Plivins Road/Bashin Road. The meeting will be held Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m., remotely. The …
Hampshire Mall May Get Pot Shop; Community Meeting Aug. 6 Hampshire Mall May Get Pot Shop; Community Meeting Aug. 6
Hampshire Mall May Get Pot Shop; Community Meeting Aug. 6 An adult-use marijuana retailer is seeking to open in the Hampshire Mall in Hadley. On Thursday, Aug. 6, HadLeaf Holistic Greens Dispensary will hold a community outreach informational session, virtually, at 6:30 p.m. Owners would like to put a dispensary at 367 Russell St. (Route 9), the Hampshire Mall, unit F. Questions can be submitted prior to the event by emailing hadleafholistic@gmail.com. The full plan will be posted to www.hadleafdispensary.com 24 hours prior to the event, according to a public hearing notice. On Aug. 4, the website was not yet operational. If final approval …