New York CBD retailer who received hemp shipment still facing marijuana charges

A CBD retailer is worried his store could go out of business after the New York Police Department intercepted its most recent shipment of hemp, thinking it was marijuana, and arrested his brother on drug charges.

Oren Levy, the owner of Green Angel CBD in Brooklyn, told Hemp Industry Daily the hemp shipment hasn’t been returned to him and he’s afraid he might not be able to keep his store open until May, when his brother Ronen is scheduled to be arraigned on marijuana charges.

Ronen Levy was arrested Nov. 2 after going to the NYPD’s 75th Precinct station to collect the 106 pounds of plants that were seized during shipping from Vermont hemp producer Fox Holler Farms to Green Angel CBD.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said last month that Ronen Levy’s felony marijuana possession charge would likely be dismissed during a hearing Dec. 2, but that didn’t happen.

“We went into the courtroom,” Oren Levy said, “and what they did is they gave us another court date: May 29, 2020.”

Every box shipped by Fox Holler Farms contained clear documentation and test results showing undetectable levels of THC, but the police claimed that a field test came back positive for marijuana, Oren Levy said.

The hemp was sent to Green Angel CBD through FedEx, which last month released a statement saying the company network prohibits such shipments and is working to cooperate with law enforcement, according to the Burlington (Vermont) Free Press.

Meanwhile, Heady Vermont, an industry advocacy group, is circulating a petition demanding the NYPD return the hemp shipment.