A judge ruled that enough evidence exists to bring marijuana smuggling allegations against two ex-officers of Vireo Health to trial, threatening the state medical marijuana programs in Minnesota and New York.
Connected to the White Plains-based Vireo Health dispensary, the two ex-officers are accused of driving marijuana-based oil from Minnesota to New York to save the fledgling company from missing a deadline to open shop in New York state.
Citing legal precedent, Minnesota District Judge Kathleen Mottl determined prosecutors had enough proof to debate at trial the alleged scheme. The case features a daring 11th-hour drive in the company’s armored vehicle and a New York state-run laboratory.
“This court concludes that there is a reasonable probability that the cannabis oil was ‘discarded’ by Vireo Health New York whether (through) conversion/sale of the oil or destruction of the actual product,” Mottl wrote.
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