Drug ring that turned Sour Patch, Nerds candy into THC edibles smashed: Monmouth prosecutor

FREEHOLD - Authorities say they broke up a statewide operation that turned popular candy like Nerds Rope and Sour Patch Kids into THC-infused edibles.

The edibles and weed ring operated in Bergen, Monmouth and Ocean counties as well as sections of New York, the Monmouth County prosecutor announced Tuesday.

Charges have been filed against 23 men and women who reside in the counties where the ring did business as well as Camden, Morris and Gloucester counties and Rockland County and Staten Island in New York. All have been arrested and released.

A 24th person, a California man, also was charged and was still at large Tuesday.

The full list: Monmouth County THC candy drug bust: Who was charged?

Raids on Dec. 19 led to the seizure of 21,000 packages of candy infused with suspected THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, the main compound in marijuana. Also uncovered was 1,100 pounds of marijuana, authorities said.

The drugs seized had a street value of $1.9 million, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said.

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Gramiccioni said the dealers would spray legitimate candy with concentrated THC.

The candy was repackaged in colorful wrappers, some original and some counterfeit, he said.

"The common and overarching goal was to appeal to children," he said. "They're hard to distinguish from real candy."

Gramiccioni urged parents to stay on guard. There's a growing trend of black market edibles making their way into New Jersey and into the pockets of teens.

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The ring used a warehouse on Park Avenue in Manalapan and a hangar at Monmouth Executive Airport in Wall as production and storage facilities, Gramiccioni said.

"I think it's fair to say its been going on for years, not months," he said of the ring.

Also seized were:

1,200 THC-infused Sour Patch Watermelon candy packages

6,250 “Baked Burgerz” edibles

3,111 TCH-infused “Nerd Ropes”

6,542 THC vape cartridges in various flavors

$1,483,859 in cash

21 luxury and exotic vehicles, including cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls Royces valued at $2.8 million.

More than $10 million in bank account assets were frozen until the resolution of the case, Gramiccioni said.

More than 40 federal, state, county and local agencies worked on the case, including police departments in Bergen, Monmouth and Ocean counties, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, prosecutor's offices in Bergen and Ocean counties, district attorney offices in New York and the New York Police Department.

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the activities of the defendants or the companies Empire Pain Center, Empire Power and Gas Holdings, Global Empire International Holdings, Supreme Lead Generations, Platinum Communication Services, Platinum Funding Associates, Jenza Properties LLC, Dynasty Property Holdings to contact Capt. Maria Reverendo of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, at 800-533-7443.

For more on the ring, scroll to the video above.

Ken Serrano has covered breaking news and crime in New Jersey for more than 20 years. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or kserrano@gannettnj.com