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The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Division on Monday announced the arrests of eight people, including a former Helena police officer, in a fraudulent sales scheme at a medical marijuana dispensary.
Investigators determined that employees of Greenlight Medical Marijuana Dispensary Helena used patient allotments for people who were elderly, deceased, out of the area, or incarcerated to create fraudulent transactions and illegally obtain medical cannabis.
The employees also allowed people without a patient card to access the dispensary and purchase marijuana products under legitimate patient allotments, ABC said in a news release.
The dispensary employees were identified as April Jones; Shameka Wright; Gerald W. Jennings; Lauren Delk; Austen Delk; Taylor Perkins; and Demario Rose.
They face counts of obtaining drugs by fraud, a Class D felony.
Also charged was Greg McDaniel, who was a Helena police officer when ABC began its investigation. McDaniel has since resigned. He faces felony counts of obtaining drugs by fraud and use of a communication device to commit a felony, as well as a misdemeanor count of delivery of a controlled substance.
ABC said an investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible.
“Medical marijuana is a regulated product in Arkansas, and its distribution must strictly comply with all applicable laws,” Jim Hudson, secretary of the state Department of Finance & Administration, which includes ABC, said in a statement. “Whenever those working in the industry illegally divert a licensed product or engage in fraud, ABC will act swiftly to protect the public.”
The Helena dispensary opened in 2019. It was run by Greenlight of Kansas City, Missouri, which operates more than 30 dispensaries in eight states, including locations in Little Rock and West Memphis. The state Medical Marijuana Commission in August approved the sale of the dispensary from Delta Cultivators LLC to Dark Horse Cannabis of Rogers. The commission also approved the planned relocation of the business from Helena to Brinkley.
The previous permit holders were William Griffin Christine, Richard Lance Gray and John David Mueller, CEO and co-founder of Greenlight. A spokesperson for the Department of Finance and Administration said the owners “took immediate action” when they learned of the scheme.
In a statement to Arkansas Business, Mueller said, “This matter came to our attention in January of this year, and we immediately terminated the employees involved and began working with the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Division, the Arkansas Marijuana Medical Commission and local law enforcement on this investigation. Greenlight’s primary focus is protecting patients and their access to legal cannabis as well as supporting a fully regulated market.”
The Helena dispensary is one of the smallest dispensaries in the state, selling 387 pounds of medical marijuana with estimated value of less than $1.8 million in 2023. As of January, it had 33 employees registered with the state.
The new permit holder is Sean Clarkson, Dark Horse Cannabis’ co-founder and CFO, according to the Department of Finance and Administration.
“}]] A former Helena police office is among those arrested in the scheme, which involved using patient allotments for people who were elderly, deceased, out of the area or incarcerated. Read More