Pot Club Owners Facing Numerous Felony Charges

Five people linked to a contentious medical marijuana club are scheduled to be arraigned next week on dozens of felony charges, authorities said Monday.

 owners Teddy Miller of Salinas and Bob James Uwanawich of Fremont and three co-defendents are facing a total of 30 charges, according to Deputy District Attorney Teresa Drenick of the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

The three co-defendents were identified Monday as Salim Dost, 22, Michael Glenn Martin, 21, and Kyle Smith, 22. Their home towns were not available, but they're believed to be from the Bay Area.

Each individual is not facing all 30 counts. Miller, 47, and Uwanawich, 39, are facing the bulk of those charges, Drenick said.

The charges include various drug-related crimes, tax evasion and Labor Code violations,  she said.

All five are scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m. at the Fremont Hall of Justice.

A full list of the charges was not available to Patch as of Monday afternoon. Representatives with the District Attorney’s office said they will be available once the charges are fully processed by the court clerk at the Fremont Hall of Justice.

The felony charges follow an investigation of the collective, which was shut down after .

During the June 28 raid, officers of the Southern Alameda County Major Crimes Task Force and seized $30,000 in cash, 20 pounds of process marijuana, 500 edibles and a shotgun during the raid, authorities said.

In addition, $61,573 from four bank accounts was frozen after the raid, according to the owners’ attorneys, Roberts & Elliot LLP.

The charges come nearly two weeks after representatives from Roberts & Elliot LLP issued a press release stating that Uwanawich and his family members were .

All money seized as part of the raid went to the State of California Tax Franchise Board to be analyzed, according to Special Agent Michelle Gregory of the state Department of Justice.

The cash seizure and analysis is to determine whether Uwanawich and Miller were generating a profit through the collective, Gregory has said.

According to the owners’ attorneys, more than 90 percent of the monies seized were proceeds of a life insurance policy.

Meanwhile, the club has re-opened. An open sign has remained lit during regular hours since Thursday, Aug. 11.

According to NBD Newark's Facebook page, regular hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

The club’s owners, whom Patch has not been able to reach for comment, and the City of Newark have clashed since the collective’s opening in December 2009.

While attorneys of the collective have said the club does not need a business license to operate because it is a non-profit organization, city officials maintain that NBD Cannabis Collective must have a Newark business license.

Community Development Director Terrence Grindall said all organizations that allows customers or patients to exchange money for products must acquire a business license and that the owners did not follow the correct procedure to apply for the proper permits prior to the club's opening.

Grindall also said Friday that the city does not have zone ordinances in place that allow the sale of medicinal marijuana and that all businesses must follow state and federal laws in order to operate.

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