Pot Club Owners Scheduled for Court Arraignment

Owners and employees of a medical marijuana club in Newark that has been described as operating illegally by city officials are scheduled for a court arraignment today.

owners Teddy Miller of Salinas and Bob James Uwanawich of Fremont are set to appear at the Fremont Hall of Justice with three co-defendants at 2 p.m.

Salim Dost, 22, Michael Glenn Martin, 21, and Kyle Cameron Smith, 22, are the three co-defendants. All three are said to have worked at the pot club as volunteers. Martin and Smith were described as Newark residents and it is believed that Dost is from the Tri-City area.

The five are facing a total of 30 charges, most of which are felonies, according to Deputy District Attorney Teresa Drenick of the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

The charges include various drug-related crimes, tax evasion and Labor Code violations, she said. The owners are facing also facing charges of operating without a business license.

Investigations of the operations of NBD Cannabis Collective — which sits at 7180 Thornton Ave., Newark — began after conducted by the Southern Alameda County Major Crimes Task Force and Newark Police Department.

At that time, officers seized $30,000 in cash, 20 pounds of process marijuana, 500 edibles and a shotgun during the raid, authorities said. Per the investigation, , according to the owners’ attorneys, Roberts & Elliot LLP.

The club was shut down, leaving Tri-City patients frustrated with lack of access to medical marijuana until it was re-opened on Aug. 11. NBD is the only medical marijuana dispensary in the Tri-Cities.

The collective — which now displays a large banner on its window that reads “Newark Medical Cannabis Initiative — continues to operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, according to NBD Newark's Facebook page.

City officials have maintained that the club operated without proper permits and licenses, while attorneys with Roberts & Elliot LLP have stated that a business license is not necessary because of the collective’s status as a non-profit.

Newark Patch plans to cover Thursday afternoon’s court appearance.

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