Four Arrested for CBD Distillate Theft Valued at $3.6M

The Georgia Department of Agriculture (DOA) said four people have been
arrested for the theft of about 3,000 liters of hemp-derived CBD distillate
with an estimated value of $3.6 million, WSBTV.com reports.

The theft happened in January at the Irwin County, Georgia-based hemp
processing facility Second Century Ag, where officers responded to reports
of the theft and confirmed that 3,000 liters of CBD distillate had been
stolen from a warehouse. Investigators said two perpetrators used a rented
U-Haul to transport the stolen goods to another county, where they switched
vehicles, before driving the CBD distillate to Dallas, Texas.

Police arrested four people in Texas over the incident and they were all
extradited to Georgia. The two suspects who are accused of actually
stealing the CBD distillate are facing felony burglary charges, while two
other suspects who were linked to the plot via peer-to-peer money transfers
are facing both burglary and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors believe that
one of the suspects, Aaron Wayne Smith, 29, was the main orchestrator of
the plot, and are pursuing the following charges against him:

- Second Degree Burglary
- Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
- Use of a Communication Facility in Committing or Facilitating a Drug
Transaction
- Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute
- Felony Theft by Taking

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper said in a statement he is
“incredibly proud” of the investigation, highlighting DOA’s cooperation
with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Rangers, and the
Irwin County Sheriff’s Office.

“In Georgia we are sending a clear message, if you attempt to use
agriculture as a cover for criminal activity – we will catch you and you
will go to prison.” — Harper, in a press release

Cannabis remains illegal in Georgia except under the state’s limited
medical cannabis program. Officials last year added dispensaries to the
program after the total patient count exceeded 25,000, the threshhold set
by the state for triggering expansion.

Meanwhile, lawmakers considered a bill this year to ban THC from all hemp
products sold in the state but the Senate-passed proposal ultimately stalled
in a House committee.