South Jersey store owners illegally sold marijuana, prosecutors say
The operation also allegedly sold psychedelic mushrooms from a Route 38 strip mall in Lumberton Township.
Authorities raided a Burlington County store that allegedly sold marijuana illegally and arrested five people, officials said Wednesday.
Investigators seized nearly $250,000 in cash and more than 100 pounds of marijuana from an illegal operation that used a storefront in a Route 38 strip mall in Lumberton Township, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a news release.
Authorities also seized 48 packets of heroin and more than a pound of psychedelic mushrooms, Coffina said.
The store, operating with the name Skraptyques, is on the 1600 block of Route 38. Other businesses along the strip mall include a pizza shop and a children’s dance studio.
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The bust comes just a few weeks before recreational marijuana is expected to be legally available for sale in New Jersey.
“This operation was not an authorized cannabis dispensary such as those presently being approved by the State,” Coffina said in a statement.
“The approaching legalized retail market for cannabis still will not permit uncontrolled and, frankly, dangerous operations such as these, and we will continue our enforcement efforts to ensure the safety of Burlington County residents, especially our children,” Coffina said.
» READ MORE: How New Jersey will handle sales of recreational marijuana
Five people were arrested after a four-week investigation that ended in late March, Coffina said.
Mathew Quinn, 44, and Crystal Cain, 30, both of Mount Holly, were identified as the business owners. They were charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute psilocybin mushrooms, and a related offense. Cain also was charged with possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Three employees were charged with related offenses, including one for carrying a firearm at the time of his arrest.
Quinn, Cain, and the employees were released after appearing in Superior Court in Mount Holly, Coffina said.
Neither Quinn nor Cain could be reached for comment.
The drugs and currency were seized after search warrants were executed at the store, a residence shared by Quinn and Cain, a self-storage facility in Mount Laurel, and four vehicles, Coffina said.