A husband and wife who run Triple D’s, a marijuana collective just south of Grand Mound, have been charged with 27 crimes each.
Donald Smith, 51, and Roberta Johnson, 50, are charged with 12 counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, marijuana; 13 counts of unlawful use of a building for drug purposes; and two counts of unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
Triple D’s, which is in the 21000 block of Old Highway 99, is one of five Thurston County marijuana collectives that Thurston County Narcotics Task Force detectives raided Nov. 15. Smith and Johnson are the third and fourth proprietors of marijuana collectives to face criminal charges.
The two other proprietors who have been charged, John Muise and Terrell Mizell, pleaded not guilty and are out of custody as they await trial. Their former marijuana collective, The Olympia Patient Resource Center at 420 Steele St. in Olympia, closed after the raid.
Seventeen people were arrested during the raids, and prosecutors have said more people will be charged.
Smith and Johnson’s arraignments are scheduled for Tuesday in Thurston County Superior Court. Neither is in custody.
According to court papers:
Beginning in August, three task force detectives obtained marijuana authorizations using undercover names and made 12 marijuana purchases from Triple D’s. The last was Nov. 7.
Detectives seized 1.76 pounds of marijuana during the raid, along with six marijuana plants and “a great deal of marijuana paraphernalia.”
Triple D’s “delivered marijuana to in excess of 627 customers on an untold number of occasions,” reads the probable-cause certificate filed in Superior Court.
The attorneys for Muise and Mizell have criticized the practice of undercover detectives obtaining marijuana authorizations using undercover names.
“It’s disturbing when law enforcement impersonates a patient,” Muise’s attorney, Kent Underwood, has said. “I expect to investigate the apparent fraud on the part of the police department and the task force.”
Smith could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Johnson referred comment to her attorney, Jeffrey Steinborn of Seattle. Steinborn could not be reached Wednesday.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5445
jpawloski@theolympian.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.