SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Police in Burlington County busted an illegal marijuana dispensary that was disguised as a regular business.
Prosecutor Scott Coffina said the group was operating a storefront in a strip mall on Route 38 in Lumberton, next to a pizza place and a children’s dance studio.
After a four-week investigation, police raided the place and seized 100 pounds of weed, $243,000 in cash, 48 packets of heroin and a pound of psychedelic mushrooms. Five people were arrested for their alleged roles in the scheme.
Coffina said customers would walk in, get screened by an armed guard, and then be brought to a secure back room, where the pot was in display cases. Some of the edible marijuana was in packaging that looked like popular snacks, such as Skittles and Cheetos, which Coffina said makes it especially dangerous if consumed by kids who didn’t know what was inside.
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The owners, 44-year-old Mathew Quinn and 30-year-old Crystal Cain, both of Mount Holly, New Jersey, were charged with drug possession and distribution offenses, along with three employees: 55-year-old Perry Brown of Morrisville, Pennsylvania; 31-year-old Nicole Colley of Mount Holly; and 26-year-old Marion Huff of Florence, New Jersey.
All five were released on bail after an initial court appearance.
While the state is on the verge of allowing sales of recreational marijuana, it’s a highly regulated industry, and law enforcement officials say they will bust anyone selling pot out of unapproved stores.