106 pounds of hemp returned to CBD owner after battle with NYPD

The owner of a CBD wholesale company in Brooklyn says 106 pounds of hemp was finally returned to him after an almost two-month-long battle with the NYPD.

News 12 Staff

Dec 24, 2019, 3:32 AM

Updated 1,584 days ago

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106 pounds of hemp returned to CBD owner after battle with NYPD
The owner of a CBD wholesale company in Brooklyn says 106 pounds of hemp was finally returned to him after an almost two-month-long battle with the NYPD.
It all began on Nov. 1 when owner John Dee says he was shipped the order of hemp flowers from a farm in Vermont by Fed Ex. He says they first brought the shipment to the Vermont authorities who gave it the green light--and then brought the shipment to the NYPD.
Dee says his brother, who was helping him collect the shipment, was arrested and accused of trying to distribute marijuana. Those charges were dropped earlier this month when the District Attorney's Office said tests came back showing the shipment was, in fact, legal hemp, with low THC levels.
He says he was also told the products didn't have the proper paperwork, but he showed News 12 a box returned to him by police, showing the paperwork that was inside.
A spokesperson from the NYPD responded with a statement saying, "In New York State, hemp sale and possession/distribution is only permissible when the buyer and seller have the proper permissions from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. In this case, neither the seller nor the buyer had those permissions. The plants were illegal marihuana and both parties were violating New York State law."
Dee says his products were returned to him by the NYPD, but that several of the bags have been opened. He says he is worried that the plants inside may have spoiled or dried out.
He tells News 12 that the entire process has been a nightmare. Dee says he filed a notice of claim for $10 million against the city of New York and the NYPD.
His attorney, Sanford Rubenstein says if it comes down to a lawsuit, they intend to add Fed Ex as a potential defendant.


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