Feds charge owner of Bangor head shop with growing, selling pot

The owner of a head shop and hookah lounge in downtown Bangor is facing federal drug and money laundering charges.

Christopher Ruhlin, 48, of Holden, owner of Herbal Tea & Tobacco, located at 44 Main St., and his employee, Terrence Sawtelle, 48, of Bangor, were indicted Sept. 14 by a federal grand jury on one count each of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana.

Ruhlin, who has owned the shop since 2011, also was indicted on two counts of maintaining a drug-involved place and seven counts of structuring bank transactions to avoid reporting deposits of $10,000 or more to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The government also is seeking to seize the Frankfort and Bangor properties where marijuana allegedly was grown and sold and the cash Ruhlin allegedly made selling pot.

Maine voters approved marijuana for recreational use in November, seven years after endorsing the use of medical marijuana. President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Jeffrey Sessions has said he would prosecute marijuana dealers since the drug still is illegal under federal law.

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2017/09/22/news/bangor/feds-charge-owner-of-bangor-head-shop-with-growing-selling-pot/