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Mar. 29, 2023 at 4:06 PM PDT
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) - Businesses in Hancock County and St. Tammany Parish were raided Wednesday for selling illegal marijuana products.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Bay St. Louis Police Department, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and Mississippi Alcohol Beverage Control arrested Karen McClain and Darren Perksins.
Authorities executed search warrants at multiple LA Harvest Company locations, which advertise selling varieties of help and Delta 8 products.
Hancock County authorities said they received multiple complaints regarding items being sold from these stores. Narcotics agents determined that employees were selling marijuana flower and other items with concentrations of THC above the legal limit.
Agents seized more than 75 pounds of marijuana flower and 26 packages of THC-infused edible products. Agents also located “extensive paraphernalia” that confirmed to authorities that the business was created infused products of their own using an internal lab-like setup.
McClain, the owner/operator of the business, and employee Perksisns are held on charges of the sale/distribution of a controlled substance. McClain is also facing a charge of trafficking controlled substances.
Authorities wanted the public to know that some products available for purchase at LA Harvest Company contained concentrations of THC that are illegal, and their possession in Mississippi is still illegal. In addition to the marijuana flower being mixed in higher concentrations, the business had also altered the packing of several commercially packaged products to reflect that the THC concentration of those products was below the legal concentration allowed in Mississippi. This poses a problem for consumers who may mistakenly believe the product is legal when in fact it is not.
“LA Harvest has not qualified to be a dispensary of medical marijuana in the state, and the company has conducted their illicit business long before the medical marijuana law went into effect,” Sheriff Ricky Adam said “They have held no regard for the state’s medical marijuana law, often flaunting the fact that they did not require medical cards. Essentially, they are no different than street-level dope dealers, other than they have a fancy storefront.
“These products are not always safe and they still pose a threat to the public’s safety, particularly when altered, misidentified and sold as legal hemp or Delta 8 products. We have received complaints from parents indicating their children have become ill after consuming these products.”
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has been working alongside the Mississippi Alcohol Beverage Control throughout the transition of medical marijuana legalization.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office assisted by the Bay St. Louis Police Department, Mississippi alcohol Beverage Control and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Oiffice executed search warrants today on businesses with in the city of Bay St. Louis, Waveland and through St Tammany Parish.
Narcotics agents executed multiple search warrants at properties operated under the name of LA Harbest Company, a retail store who advertises selling multiple variets of hemp and Delta 8 containing products.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office received multiple complaints in regards to the items being sold from these stores, and after a thorough investigation, narcotics agents determined employees were selling marijuana flower and other items containing concentrations of THC above the legal threshold.
Following the search warrants, agents seized in excess of 75 pounds of marijuana flower and 26 pages of THC infused edible products. Additionally, agents located extensive paraphernalia that confirms the business as creating infused products of their own using an internal lab like set up.
Those arrests include business owner/operator Karen McClain of Slidell and and employee Darren Perksins of Slidell. They are held on charges of sale/distribution of a controlled substance. McClain is also held on a charge of trafficking of controlled substances.
Authorities wanted the public to know that some products available for purchase at LA Harvest Company contained concentrations of THC that are illegal, and their possession in Mississippi is still illegal. In addition to the marijuana flower being mixed in higher concentrations, the business had also altered the packing of several commercially packaged products to reflect that the THC concentration of those products was below the legal concentration allowed in Mississippi. This poses a problem for consumers who may mistakenly believe the product is legal when in fact it is not.
“LA Harvest has not qualified to be a dispensary of medical marijuana in the state, and the company has conducted their illicit business long before the medical marijuana law went into effect,” Sheriff Ricky Adam said “They have held no regard for the state’s medical marijuana law, often flaunting the fact that they did not require medical cards. Essentially, they are no different than street-level dope dealers, other than they have a fancy storefront.
“These products are not always safe and they still pose a threat to the public’s safety,
particularly when altered, misidentified and sold as legal hemp or Delta 8 products. We have received complaints from parents indicating their children have become ill after consuming these products.”
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has been working alongside the Mississippi Alcohol Beverage Control throughout the transition of medical marijuana legalization
