You may be used to going to a vending machine and getting a soda or a Gatorade. Maybe you want a snack, so you hit a vending machine and grab a Snickers or a bag of Bugles. That is all well and good. Sounds pretty normal, right? But in New Jersey, for a while, you were able to illegally get your marijuana fix via vending machines that were posted up all over the state.
Ben Gross (40), a Toms River, New Jersey resident, was the owner of the Barbwire vending machine company. Authorities believe Gross raked in up to $20,000 a day running his illegal marijuana vending machines. Gross had 80 machines across the state, prosecutors said.
You could try to make the argument that Gross knew that New Jersey has full recreational marijuana laws, so he was free to sell it as he saw fit. Not so fast, my friend.
Marijuana is legal in New Jersey, but it can only be sold by licensed dispensaries to people 21 and older. Gross’s machines were not licensed to sell marijuana.
“While marijuana possession is legal for adults under certain circumstances in New Jersey, it is still illegal to sell marijuana without proper licensure,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement.
After a two-year investigation, spearheaded by the Ocean County and Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Offices, Ben Gross was identified as the owner of the Barbwire company. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago went on record as saying.
Detectives seized marijuana buds/plants (flower) exceeding 100 pounds, five pounds of hashish, several hundred pounds of THC-infused candy, and THC-infused vaping products, authorities said.
Detectives located Delma Canales-Garcia, 50, along with Susana Garcia-Canales, 42, and Carlos Sanchez-Castillo, at the warehouse in Manchester Township. The three were arrested, authorities said.
Investigators raided Gross’s home in Toms River as well as two other homes. Three homes, huh? This was making sick money.
Gross has been charged with money laundering, possession of 25 pounds or more of marijuana with intent to distribute, maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility, and other drug-related felonies. If convicted, he could face decades behind bars.
All four were later released pending further court proceedings.
Personally, I had never seen a weed vending machine. It does make you wonder, or at least want to scratch your head and think to yourself, how did this idiot think he was going to get away with this? OK, yes, the customers buying the weed from the machines don’t give a shit about any legalities of it. But law enforcement? You had 80 f*cking machines, my man. All that was needed to occur was one cop on duty or off duty to spot this, and you were cooked. Now Bennie, more than likely, is going to prison.
And you can light a fat one up to that!
