Police Take Down Medical Marijuana Grower In Seattle

[bobandtorey]

A Seattle medical-marijuana grower and dispensary owner has been charged with three felonies after police seized nearly 2,800 plants and 90 pounds of processed pot.

 

#The King County Prosecutor’s Office alleges Matthew Segal, 38, ran a multimillion-dollar operation in Seattle, with several grows to supply at least two dispensaries — Rain City

Medical in South Seattle and Rain City Medical in Magnolia.

#He has been charged with three felony counts of possession and distribution of a controlled substance. Four other defendants, who were Segal’s employees, are each implicated on one

count with Segal. None of the five has a criminal history, according to charging papers.

 

#King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said Segal’s was “clearly a huge, for-profit, untaxed, unregulated marijuana grow.”

 

#Satterberg said Segal faces up to six months in jail if convicted as charged.

 

#Seattle police, tipped off by federal DEA agents, served a warrant in June on three grow locations maintained by Segal and his employees and seized most of his marijuana. According to

the charging papers, police said Segal had 2,275 marijuana plants inside a warehouse just south of the West Seattle Bridge along with 90 pounds of processed pot. More than 500

marijuana plants were found at the other two locations.

 

#Segal deposited more than $780,000 into his bank account over a two-year period, according to the charging papers. One of the co-defendants told police that Segal paid her in marijuana

and cash to take care of one of the grow operations, according to the police documents.

#Segal told The Seattle Times on Thursday that he did not know he had been charged and said his lawyer, Zach Fleet, had advised him not to comment.

 

#Fleet said Segal was supplying about 4,800 medical-marijuana patients when the warrant was served. He said Segal was housing multiple collective gardens in his warehouse and that he

had enough patient authorizations on file to have more than 2,000 plants.

 

#Medical-marijuana patients can grow 15 plants on their own, or up to 45 plants in a collective garden. Some large medical-marijuana businesses site multiple collective gardens at one

place, believing that provides them some legal protection.

 

#“There’s no evidence whatsoever that any of this is supplying to patients outside his access points,” Fleet said. “He’s not trying to hurt anybody, he’s not sending (marijuana) out of

state, he’s trying to give it to patients through his access points.”

 

#Fleet said he thought Segal was targeted because his West Seattle neighbors complained about smelling marijuana and that the charges are “part of a coordinated effort by the city to do

what they can to have a shot across the bow to medical to let them know it’s not going to be business as usual.”

#Satterberg said his office was not part of any message. He said he chose to charge Segal because he growing so many plants.

 

#“The medical-marijuana field has had a lot of gray areas and the statute isn’t everything it could be, but this is so far above anybody’s interpretation of what’s allowed that it has resulted

in criminal charges,” he said.

#Fleet said after Seattle police served its warrant and seized much of his marijuana, Segal sold his Magnolia dispensary and intended to leave the medical industry for the recreational

market. Months ago, Segal applied with the state Liquor Control Board for producer and processor licenses.

 

#Fleet said Segal’s former business manager applied for a retail marijuana license. That license was recently granted, according to liquor-board records. Fleet said Segal was nearly

licensed and is concerned the felony charges will prevent him from becoming an Initiative 502 grower.

 

#“We’ve been doing everything we can to comply,” said Fleet. He said it was unfortunate that Segal is being charged just as he is attempting to do what law enforcement wants — reining

in a medical operation and moving to the state system.

#Satterberg said he wasn’t sympathetic.

#“He may want to be a licensed producer some day,” said Satterberg. “That isn’t a defense of what he’s been doing all these years when he’s not abided by the law.”

#Segal’s arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 24.

http://union-bulletin.com/news/2014/dec/12/police-take-down-medical-marijuana-grower-seattle/

[bobandtorey]

Satterberg said Segal faces up to six months in jail if convicted as charged.

 

I would do six months for that kind on money 

[pic book]

the ratios don't seem skewed; 4800 patients and 3000 plants.  ours is 1 patient, 12 plants. 

the tip?  neighbors complained about smelling mj.  how many stink socks needed for 3000 plants?

[trichcycler]

Satterberg said Segal faces up to six months in jail if convicted as charged.

 

I would do six months for that kind on money 

sorry you feel that way

[bobandtorey]

sorry you feel that way

 

 

Lol

 

thanks

[phaquetoo]

Satterberg said Segal faces up to six months in jail if convicted as charged.

 

I would do six months for that kind on money 

I would stand on my head in the corner of a cell for that kinda money lmao!

 

Peace

[bobandtorey]

Me to Jim 

 

Here is a link of their Law 

 

http://www.mpp.org/states/washington/i-502-overview.html