In this Sept. 30, 2016, file photo, a marijuana bud is seen before harvest at a rural area near Corvallis, Ore. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File)
Twenty-four people were indicted in connection with a cross-country marijuana distribution ring that shipped thousands of kilos of pot and edibles from California to New York, federal prosecutors said this week.
Two of the suspects named in the criminal case, Dwight A. Singletary II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” are accused of operating the distribution network using UPS and FedEx from a small store called Fast Pack & Ship in Fresno, California.
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Law&Crime emailed the attorneys for Singletary and Coles. But they did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A grand jury indicted the suspects on Dec. 21. They face charges including marijuana distribution, money laundering, and firearms possession, prosecutors said in a news release Tuesday.
From 2016 to June 2022, the ring sold marijuana and edibles at so-called “knock spots,” where marijuana was sold through a slot in the door, prosecutors said. Authorities said search warrants served throughout the investigation turned up guns and ammunition at the “knock spots” and at the homes of two suspected ringleaders, barred from possessing weapons because they’re both convicted felons.
The operators are accused of laundering the proceeds, through Singletary’s businesses, one of which was a boutique, two homes in Fresno for $820,000, and cash, including $179,710 seized at the Albany International Airport, officials said.
Prosecutors allege they also used the hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to renovate properties and a business. Authorities said Singletary bought one home for $9,000 in 2016 and sold it for over $250,000 in 2020.
“The indictment contains forfeiture allegations seeking the forfeiture of, among other things, seven properties in Fresno and the Capital Region; over $300,000 in cash and funds seized from bank accounts; several vehicles, including a 2021 Mercedes G63 and a 2021 Mercedes S580; over $500,000 worth of jewelry, including a Patek Philippe watch worth over $114,000; luxury items, including a chinchilla fur vest; and firearms and ammunition,” the news release said.
