BOSTON (WHDH) - The state’s Cannabis Control Commission has suspended all medical and adult-use cannabis operations at Nova Farms in Sheffield and Attleboro after one of the co-owners was scouting out places to set up an illegal marijuana grow operation.
The announcement comes after the commission learned last week that Mark Rioux, a registered Marijuana Establishment Agent who is listed as a controlling person with ownership and control interests in Nova Farms, was facing criminal charges.
Rioux has ownership interests in the following marijuana establishments:
Marijuana Establishments
1. MC281841: Final Tier 9 (Outdoor) Cultivator, Sheffield
2. MC281970: Provisional Tier 1 (Indoor) Cultivator, Sheffield
3. MC281263: Provisional Tier 2 (Indoor) Cultivator, Attleboro
4. MP281325: Provisional Product Manufacturer, Attleboro
5. MR281379: Provisional Retailer, Attleboro
Medical Marijuana Treatment Center
1. Provisional Medical Marijuana Treatment Center, Attleboro
None of Nova Farm’s licenses have commenced operations for the adult or medical use industries in Massachusetts.
Rioux, a licensed Massachusetts real estate agent and listed principal of several Massachusetts real estate holding companies, allegedly conspired with Marshall Muir to scout a warehouse location for Muir to set up an illicit marijuana grow operation.
The forensic search found communications that established Rioux’s awareness of Muir’s illicit operation and Muir’s efforts to avoid detection by law enforcement, including but not limited to, the posting of “grow licenses on the wall when they (i.e. municipal fire department) walk in that is separated from the grow,” according to the commission.
“The Commission takes these allegations seriously and is taking immediate action to protect against the risks of diversion and criminal elements entering the legal market,” Executive Director Shawn Collins said. “The Commonwealth has enacted strict laws and regulations to ensure our legal cannabis industry is safe and accessible. As these allegations would undermine those objectives, the Commission will continue to investigate and work alongside our counterparts in Attleboro and Sheffield to uphold public health and public safety first and foremost.”
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