Company challenges seizure of marijuana cash proceeds in Kansas

Did you miss the webinar “Women Leaders in Cannabis: Shattering the Grass Ceiling?” Head to MJBiz YouTube to watch it now!


A cash-management company is asking a federal court to give back nearly $166,000 in medical marijuana sales that Kansas law enforcement seized while the money was being transported from Missouri to Colorado.

Sheriff’s deputies in Dickinson County, Kansas, stopped a driver as she was traveling with the cash, the Associated Press reported.

The driver, a Denver-based employee of Empyreal Logistics, was transporting cash from MMJ dispensaries in Kansas City, Missouri, to a credit union in Colorado. Marijuana is legal in those two states but not in Kansas.

The driver was not charged.

However, federal prosecutors said the money is subject to forfeiture because it breaks a U.S. law forbidding the manufacture and distribution of federally illegal drugs.

Business leaders need reliable industry data and in-depth analysis to make smart investments and informed decisions in these uncertain economic times.

Get your 2023 MJBiz Factbook now!

Featured Inside:
  • 200+ pages and 50 charts with key data points
  • State-by-state guide to regulations, taxes & opportunities
  • Segmented research reports for the marijuana + hemp industries
  • Accurate financial forecasts + investment trends

 

Stay ahead of the curve and avoid costly missteps in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry.

After the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas filed the civil forfeiture action in federal court seeking to seize the money, a federal magistrate judge ruled in September that there was probable cause to seize the money because it was the product of illegal drug sales.

A hearing is scheduled for January.

Empyreal argues the money was generated through legal business dealings.