New Mexico cannabis company NNK Equity LLC says it is filing a lawsuit against the state after police seized and destroyed tens of thousands of pounds of cannabis plants, the Associated Press reports. The October raid, announced last week by police, was the largest seizure and destruction of cannabis in New Mexico since the state’s legalization policy took effect in 2021.
To justify the raid, authorities said NNK Equity had failed to post its licenses on-site, failed to obtain water rights, didn’t have proper camera coverage of its grow operation, and had violated state sanitation, health, and safety requirements. The state Cannabis Control Division filed a noncompliance order against the company earlier this year and is in the process of revoking its license.
“The organization involved showed a blatant disregard for the laws of this state and we will prove that once this investigation is over,” said New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler in a statement.
But attorney Jaco Candelaria, who represents NNK Equity, disputed those claims, saying his clients Irving Lin and Bao Xue speak Mandarin and have trouble understanding written English, and that they had asked for a translation but got no response. He said his clients will ask a judge to overturn the order to revoke the company’s license and call for a hearing.
“The idea that law enforcement officers can destroy public property based upon a temporary restraining order — which can be entered without notice to all parties and before a hearing on the evidence — which was the case here, should concern all of us who believe in the Constitution.” — Candelaria, via the Associated Press
Meanwhile, in another ongoing cannabis case in New Mexico, eight licensed operators filed a lawsuit last month claiming that federal agents had unlawfully seized state-legal cannabis products and cash.
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