Detroit pot shop busted for hosting ‘flea market’ event

Detroit — Several people were arrested Friday night after police raided an east-side licensed medical marijuana dispensary that was hosting what authorities described as a “flea market” selling a variety of cannabis-laced foods.

Police say about 150 customers were at Five & Dime dispensary on the 2000 block of Dwyer when they arrived at about 7 p.m. Many of them were not medical marijuana patients.

The business had several tables displaying brownies, cookies, bottled juices and candy all laced with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — the chemical compound in marijuana that causes a euphoric high, authorities say.

Several other marijuana dispensaries had vendor tables set up selling the items.

“This was more of a recreational setup,” Lt. Jonathan Parnell said. “It went beyond the medical marijuana guidelines.”

Lt. Jonathan Parnell said police made three felony arrests and six misdemeanor arrests of people who were operating the event. Six weapons were recovered from the scene.

Authorities also seized 3,500 pounds of marijuana in different forms and several hundred thousand dollars.

Parnell said Five & Dime is listed under the state registry as a medical marijuana dispensary, but it was not operating as one Friday night.

The event exceeded the five-patient limit for medical marijuana caregivers in Michigan, Parnell said. The dispensary also violated the state’s law by selling recreational marijuana and allowing other dispensaries to sell products inside its facility, he said.

The attendees, Parnell said, had been shuttled to the dispensary from the eight annual THC Expo being held at the Roostertail in Detroit this weekend.

Parnell said when police arrived, there were people in line to make purchases, customers sampling items and live entertainment from a rapper.

“They were conducting business like they were in a marijuana flea market,” Parnell said.