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Suspect arrested in Holly medical marijuana dispensary drug bust: Cash guns, and more seized

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Written by Amy Mayhew
Friday, January 25 2013

Holly Village Council approved the business license for Well Greens, a medical marijuana dispensary hoping to set up shop in Holly.
Holly Village Council approved...

HOLLY, Michigan – A 31-year old Keego Harbor man is behind bars today after members of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) raided Holly’s sole medical marijuana dispensary, Well Greens, on Thursday afternoon, seizing marijuana, cash, guns and other drug paraphernalia in two separate raids.

The suspect is believed to be the owner of Well Greens.

According to Undersheriff Mike McCabe, his agency was contacted by Holly Police Chief, Mike Story last week, indicating that he had information of possible illegal activities going on at the Hamilton Plaza dispensary.


After purchasing marijuana at Well Greens on two separate occasions, McCabe said detectives had enough evidence to issue three separate search warrants – one at the Well Greens facility, and the other two  at the suspect’s residence in Keego Harbor.

Undersheriff Mike McCabe
Undersheriff Mike McCabe


McCabe said the suspect was arrested at the dispensary, and that 11-ounces of marijuana and nearly $800 in cash were recovered during the raid. A search warrant for the Keego Harbor home was originally issued so that officers could search for documents pertaining to the business. A third search warrant was later obtained by NET detectives after making entry into the home and discovering narcotics. Nobody was home at the time of the raid, McCabe said. McCabe said the Keego Harbor Police Department assisted in the raid.


“They seized $900 in cash, 3-pounds of marijuana, eight handguns and a large quantity of assorted ammunition, a set of brass knuckles, over 20 vials of anabolic steroids along with 50 steroid syringes, and several vials of unknown clear liquids and chemicals,” McCabe said, adding that it had been submitted to the Sheriff's Office Forensic Crime Lab for analysis.

Anabolic steroids like these were seized in Thursday's raid.
Anabolic steroids like these w...


The suspect is currently lodged in the Oakland County Jail and is awaiting arraignment on  Saturday for possession with intent to distribute (PWID) marijuana, possession of anabolic steroids, felony firearm, and possession of a dangerous weapon (brass knuckles).

McCabe credited Story for tipping off the Narcotics Enforcement Team. “We continue to have a great working relationship with Chief Story and the entire Holly Police Department,” McCabe said. “The entire department is to be commended - they do a great job.”

Comments   

 
#1 Joe 2013-01-25 14:20
Well that lasted real long. For all those supporters, here you go.

Rationalize away...
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#2 Tony E. 2013-01-25 14:55
Joe... If someone who owns a Mcdonald's doesn't follow the rules and gets arrested, is that the fault of the business or the person? Because I am sure the comments here are going to be very "I told you so" slanted, I would like folks to answer the question while they get their comments in.

He was given a chance. He was told what he needed to do. He was told he would be watched. If the facts as stated are true then he chose to follow a different path. Kudos to the Holly PD for staying on top of things.
I look forward to reading the thoughts of other members of the community
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#3 Joe 2013-01-25 16:18
Yes, unfortunately there are bad people everywhere and in every business. Recently you had a priest embezzling about a half million dollars from a church; it can be anywhere and anyone.

There are, however, certain businesses that attract certain types of people and this segment seems to be one of them.

This guy failed the eyeball test from day one. Reportedly a doctor, the Internet comes up empty on that yet his LinkedIn profile shows him as the CEO of a now defunct Internet gambling website. Tell me what credible doctor is running a questionably legal gambling website and marijuana clinic?

Unfortunately I think the recreational side of marijuana will long taint the medical side. Just look at the websites being run and the names of the products. This industry is not being marketed as a legitimate business segment, it's being operated like a bunch of high school kids just looking for their next high.

And yes, congrats to the HPD for keeping their eye on this.
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#4 Victoria Fiero 2013-01-25 17:21
Kudos to the Holly PD! Yeh, we sure as heck told the Council NOT to approve this! The Council is not listening to the people - we told you no on this, we told you no on the Depot, we told you no on the waterworks building and tear down the slum house before someone is injured!
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#5 Toddski 2013-01-26 11:13
"I TOLD YOU SO"....
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#6 Janet Leslie 2013-01-26 12:53
I think more than a few residents are sharing your sentiments today, Toddski. The village is very fortunate to have such vigilant local law enforcement that recognized the problem and took action so quickly. This demonstrates one reason why the Holly Township Board opted not to allow dispensaries, though we do not prohibit single providers. Without local law enforcement, there would be no adequate oversight.
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#7 Joe 2013-01-27 13:24
Just for historical reference, I'd like to copy in a December post from what I assume is someone related to Well Greens and likely the owner himself.

Next time around, I hope that we as a community apply a little more scrutiny.

Quoting WellGreens:
There is absolutely nothing to hide... I expect (and welcome) intense and unrelenting scrutiny, so Well Greens will be as squeaky clean as you can get. It would be ridiculous to be doing anything that could possibly be construed as illegal.

Well Greens will also be the first and only MI MMJ facility owned and operated by a medical doctor! That shows Holly in quite a positive light, for being both progressive as well as responsible.


Source: thehollyexpress.com/.../...
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#8 Jason M Hughes 2013-01-27 15:23
Janet, that makes no sense at all... While the township doesn't permit a dispensary, there is insufficient law enforcement to police the home caregivers for similar activities and actions.

This guy was arrested for operating a dispensary before the state courts made their decision. In the meantime, caregivers are still doing this from their homes.
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#9 Lee 2013-01-27 16:59
Jason, I think it was a bit more involved that just "operating a dispensary before the state courts made their decision"..
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#10 Jason M Hughes 2013-01-27 19:27
You think that based on what, Lee? Per the article two controlled purchases were made from the storefront. He was arrested at the store where money and marijuana was collected. Had he waited until the state judicial decision came in (and it was to allow dispensaries) then no warrants would have been issued for his home (unless the controlled purchases were to minors or non-card holders but that wasn't stated in the article).
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#11 Lee 2013-01-27 19:59
Perhaps, Jason, if we had not been so hasty in establishing this ordinance, it would not thrust him and Holly into this unfavorable spot. So you are saying this was a legal transaction, except for timing? I'm not sure many people, including law enforcement would agree with you.
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#12 Ryan Bladzik 2013-01-27 21:12
Lee, no one was hasty in enacting any ordinances. The ordinance was considered with a public hearing, the planning commission and the Village Council approved it--a good year ago now. The ordinance, just like every one in the Zoning Ordinance, specifies the criteria that a special use may be granted--one of which is conformance to all laws currently being enforced. This stipulation is no different than requiring a restaurant to be able to meet health codes prior to opening.

The proprietor of this dispensary made the choice to conduct business of his own accord, and *against the advice of Village officials* (and hopefully his attorney, as well). There is no one to blame for his current situation except himself.
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#13 Joe 2013-01-27 21:37
So all the previous discussion regarding granting of the business license, is there not a criteria that the business be a legal operation?

I'm confused how a business license was granted but (per Ryan's post) the advice of village officials was to not open?
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#14 Janet Leslie 2013-01-27 23:59
Jason, there are limits as to how many patients an individual provider can serve. Our decision was based, in part, on the fact that multiple providers in one location would create a level of activity that should have the supervision of local law enforcement, which the township does not have. Also, we avoided granting a permit for an activity that is still against federal law, while not prohibiting what is allowed by state law.
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#15 Toddski 2013-01-28 06:04
During my MANY years on this earth, if there was one thing I learned is If you make a mistake admit it, and move on. enough said.
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#16 Lee 2013-01-28 07:06
Ryan, I did not mean to indicate the council did not follow procedures in passing this ordinance..I attended all those meetings..I meant we could have NOT made any decision until it had been clarified and not have the distinction of being the ONLY community in Oakland County to have a dispensary, even though against federal law...
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#17 Ryan Bladzik 2013-01-28 08:17
Joe, the big misconception in all of this is the "business license". The Village created that program to register and document businesses in Holly--to have contact and emergency information, to ensure that code inspections are complete, etc.

When recommending this program, the Planning Commission made it perfectly clear that it was not intended to be a gatekeeper or another bureaucratic hurdle for business. However, in the case of the dispensary, that's how it's been perceived and used. Using the term "license" was probably a confusing and poor choice, as was requiring approval of the Village Council (that's since been fixed).

WellGreens completed its registration process, and therefore received its "license" from the Village. They received their special use permit--the real legal requirement--last year, before the Court of Appeals ruled dispensaries illegal.

Instead of waiting to see if the Michigan Supreme Court overturned the Appeals Court decision, the proprietor decided to operate regardless, and was therefore in violation of currently enforced laws (which is stated in our Zoning Ordinance).
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#18 Jason M Hughes 2013-01-28 08:24
Yes Janet, but there is nothing preventing activity similar to a dispensary in a residential area because of the lack of law enforcement. The limits you speak of only exist if someone chooses to follow them or unless the rules are enforced. We know that enforcement is an issue...

As for the business license mentioned by Joe. As explained before, the business license in the village is a registration/audit process. It doesn't grant someone the authority to conduct illegal activities. This was explained to the owner of Well Greens and that the legality of dispensaries was being determined by the court system at the state level.

Lee, I don't know why you would think things were hasty... The work for the medical marijuana ordinance in the village started before I was on council (3 years ago or more).
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#19 Ryan Bladzik 2013-01-28 09:15
Janet, the Village of Holly's medical marijuana ordinance is far more regulatory and restrictive than the Township's ordinance aside from multiple caregivers at a single facility.
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#20 Janet Leslie 2013-01-28 18:41
For our purposes, we used the definition of "dispensary" used by the state, two or more providers operating out of a single location. We do not allow that, in part because having a large amount of marijuana and a large amount of retail traffic, and thus a large amount of money, in one location presents a larger enforcement issue than a single provider with a limited number of plants selling to a limited number of patients. The intent of the state law seems to be to allow this intimate relationship between provider and patient. I don't see any indication that it was intended to create retail environments. We avoided creating any regulations which "permit" what is still an illegal activity according to federal law.
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#21 Jason M Hughes 2013-01-29 09:35
Two corrections Janet. First, all marijuana (medical or otherwise, dispensary or caregiver-to-patient) is "illegal" according to federal law. Second, acknowledging that a lot of questionable if not illegal behavior is common in the marijuana industry, it is a big assumption that the restrictions you speak of are being followed. Personally, I don't want to push drug trade into residential neighborhoods and while the state recognizes it as legal, I am not comfortable with it.

The views of the two different boards may not align (and part of it is due to the differences in the availability of law enforcement) but my thoughts are that there is inherent danger in both scenarios. You then have to determine if you would rather have those dangers restricted to residential neighborhoods or to allow it in a commercial district (pending the ruling of the state supreme court of course). Concerns from both sides are valid but since the Michigan voters decided medical marijuana should be legal in Michigan it is an issue that local municipalities have to concern themselves with.

For further clarification, I am not supporting the owner of Well Greens at all. When the business license was issued it had been explained to him that the license was not a permit to violate current laws. Apparently the owner chose not to heed the warning and the legal process will determine the necessary actions. The system worked exactly like it is supposed to. Someone may have broken the law and it is being handled through the enforcement process.
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#22 Janet Leslie 2013-01-29 09:43
There is no correction necessary, Jason. We all know that growing, selling, and using marijuana for any purpose is illegal according to federal law. The difference is that the township chose not to "permit" any of these illegal uses to protect the township against any repercussions for contradicting federal law. While many Oakland County communities chose to issue a moratorium to avoid those pitfalls, we also chose not to prevent the type of patient/provider relationship described by the voter-approved state law. In essence, our position was to keep local regulations to a minimum.
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#23 Karin Winchester 2013-01-29 13:12
Janet is entitled to her opinion, however, it may or may not reflect the consensus of the Holly Township Board of Trustees.
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#24 Tony E. 2013-01-30 00:05
So, It would appear that people are more interested in blaming the village council, who followed the law and the rules and procedures that the law dictates they follow instead of blaming the business owner who failed to follow the law and the rules and procedures that he was told to follow. Interesting.
Just curious if there was the same energy cast at the last business who requested a liquor license in a town that has had some very public DUI incidents? Were there protests when someone died due to a drunken bar fight a couple of months ago? As I said before, I never touch alcohol or any type of mind altering drugs...so from a use standpoint I have no horse in the race. But it seems that if we are going to talk about the damage of a M.M.D. in our community, let's not let the bars off the hook either? And just so we are clear...I have no problem with the bars in town. Just trying to make a point.
Let's cast our frustration where it belongs...with the one individual who broke the law. When the next person comes in wanting to open an M.M.D., he will be given the same instructions based on what the laws currently state. I hope they choose to follow them...
Lastly,,,if you don't like the law, your course of action is to get a petition going and get a law change on the ballot at the state level, not blaming Jason and the rest of council for following the rules handed down by the state.
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#25 Janet Leslie 2013-01-30 10:14
Oh, for goodness sake, I was just trying to explain the difference between how the township and the village handled the matter of medical marijuana. Here's a link to the article: thehollyexpress.com/.../...
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#26 Lee 2013-01-30 11:02
Tony, with all due respect, you were not around during all the wrangling about the ordinance concerning dispensaries..I am definately NOT blaming the council for Wellgreens decision, that belongsd to him, and him alone. However, I do feel we had a different choice when we passed the ordinance..many spoke against its passing, and suggested we do a "wait and see" since it was unclear how it would be enforced. Most of the council at that time felt differently and passed it. That's all I was saying..something like Hindsight??
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#27 Gary the Foot 2013-01-30 16:05
It is possible to remove the 'thumbs down' feature on this site? It's distracting to have others try to alter your perception of one's comments before you even get a chance to read them. Just a thought. Great site overall, and, very helpful insight above. Thank you!
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#28 Jason M Hughes 2013-01-30 16:19
Some communities that were extending moratoriums were being sued at the time Lee. Council acted at the recommendation of their legal representatives in creating an ordinance that kept the village within compliance of the state's opinion at the time.

If a moratorium was issued by council and a lawsuit was filed against the village then there would be people coming out saying things like "hindsight" and "I told you so". If council chose to ban dispensaries outright and a lawsuit was filed against the village, people would be coming out and saying things like "hindsight" and "I told you so". The biggest difference is that there would be legal fees associated with these two scenarios.
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#29 amayhew 2013-01-30 16:54
I have to say I agree with you, Gary. Seems like people have been abusing the thumbs up thumbs down thing for a while now. I can't take down one thumb but not the other, so for now, I've completely disabled the thumb system. People can still comment all they want - the only difference is, others can't agree or disagree via the thumb, which hopefully, will be a little less distracting.
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#30 Tony E. 2013-01-30 18:31
Lee,

Just as a point of information...I was "around" in that I was paying attention to what was going on. I may not have been as visible but don't get the impression that I wasn't aware of what was being discussed and the decisions that were made.

I am pretty sure council knew this decision was going to be unpopular with a certain segment of the village population. But they did what they had to do and what was the right thing to do.
Hindsight only works when there was a viable alternative decision. In this case there was not.
I'll also suggest to those who want to see things be different...start a business and occupy those storefronts. Then there will be nowhere for a MMD to open.
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#31 Joe 2013-01-30 19:15
Quoting amayhew:
I have to say I agree with you, Gary. Seems like people have been abusing the thumbs up thumbs down thing for a while now. I can't take down one thumb but not the other, so for now, I've completely disabled the thumb system.


Thumbs up to this!
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#32 circus011574 2013-01-30 21:10
Such ado over something so harmless. Relax people, it's just a plant, and it makes people happy :-)
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#33 Hollywood 2013-01-31 09:39
I blame the holly pd for this set up.
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#34 Gary the Foot 2013-01-31 15:47
Circus, I believe the "to do" is over violations of the law and the seizing of "marijuana, cash, guns and other drug paraphernalia in two separate raids". I'm not sure anyone's really happy in this scenario.
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#35 Janet Leslie 2013-02-04 03:45
Thank you, Amy Mayhew, for removing the thumbs up/thumbs down feature. It takes some courage to express an opinion, and I hate to see people discouraged by receiving negative votes.
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#36 Janet Leslie 2013-02-09 10:08
The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled on dispensaries: theoaklandpress.com/.../...
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#37 TheDuke 2013-02-09 10:19
Janet, thanks for posting the link. I copied the first few paragraphs here for people who may not click on the link.

"The Michigan Supreme Court slammed the door on marijuana shops Friday in the most significant legal decision since voters approved pot for some chronic medical conditions in 2008.

The owners of so-called dispensaries “are not entitled to operate a business that facilitates patient-to-patient sales of marijuana,” the court said in a 4-1 opinion.

The state’s marijuana law makes no mention of pot shops. It says people can possess up to 2.5 ounces of “usable” marijuana and keep up to 12 plants in a locked place. A caregiver also can provide marijuana to as many as five people."
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#38 Tony E. 2013-02-10 00:18
The entire process from start to finish worked exactly as it was supposed to. Now let's hope some prospective local business owners will fill the vacancies in town so people don't have to worry about businesses that cater to a fringe element that some people fear or find offensive.
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#39 circus011574 2013-02-12 20:35
Gary, before trying to correct my grammar (which people love) please look up the definition for "ado".
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