39-year old Marshall Muir, the owner of Envious Swimming in Warwick, Rhode Island, was arrested this week on allegations that he was operating an illegal marijuana grow. Police estimated that the street value of the marijuana being grown would have netted over $500,000 at time of harvest based on street values.
Muir was arrested after police found 143 marijuana plants growing inside rented buildings in Attleboro, Massachusetts and charged with possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Muir told police that he lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but according to police also has business addresses in Warwick (the swim club) and is affiliated with 2 bars in East Greenwich, Rhode Island: Foreign Events hookah bar and the Kai bar.
Muir was released on $2,500 bail.
Massachusetts in 2013 became the 18th state in the United States to allow medical marijuana usage. Not long after, in December of 2016, the state began allowing recreational usage, with the state market for recreational marijuana officially beginning sales on November 20th, 2018 for adults 21 years of age or older. That update to the law, known as “Question 4,” also allowed adults 21 years of age or older to grow up to 6 plants in their residence, with a maximum of 12 plants per household. The 143 plants found at the rented property violated both that maximum, and the “at their residence” provisions of the law.
Attleboro, where the plants were found, is very close to the border with Rhode Island, where marijuana is technically illegal, but where possession of small amounts has been decriminalized (up to a $150 fine with no jail time and no criminal record for those 18 & over). Rhode Island does have allowances for medical marijuana.
As recently as July 13th, Muir was listed as the “CEO/Director of Coaching/Owner” of the club, though his bio has since been removed from the website. According to that bio, he swam at Florida Atlantic University, and after college moved back home to his native Australia where he led his team to their first NSW Australian State title in the club’s 25-year history.
The club’s website says that Muir founded the club in May of 2007, with the goal to “to redifine “Swimming programs” and (incorporate) all areas of aquatics into the program from Swim Teams, learn to swim, private coaching, pool management, swimming equipment and branding. This unique approch [sic] to “Swimming is one business” has set the foundation of redifining [sic] swimming in New England and across the US.”
Possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance is a misdemeanor in Massachusetts,
$500,000.00 divided by 143 plants = $3,496.00 per plant. I don’t know much about growing weed, but I’m in the wrong bidness!
I think that it’s largely based on ‘street prices.’ I know a guy who quit his 9-5 in Texas and moved to Oregon to become a partner in a pot farm. He’s now back in Texas. According to him, in states where it’s both fully legal, and where there’s ample land and appropriate land to grow it, there’s been an ‘over boom,’ because potheads from across the country all wanted to work in weed, and prices have plummeted.
He says that he expects it all to eventually get bought up (probably by alcohol conglomerates by Anheuser Busch, mostly) and turned into a mass-market mega-corporate business.
This just in: Braden burns
Braden most definitely does not burn. Braden works too much to have time for that mess.
If that’s the case then Braden needs to burn
Good, I’m glad marijuana is off the street since it kills 80,000 people a year. Oh wait, that’s alcohol never mind.
*Vergani has entered the chat*
Sounds like this coach may have set high goals for his swimmers
i heard his practices were dope
They need to do a better job at weeding out the bad coaches…
10×300 on the 4:20.
I understand how everybody wants to hash this out, but this whole thread has gone to pot.
They blazed thru practice
Nice
Nice
Only a Misdemeanor charge.
Was it worth $10 million in property damages?
Up to 3 years I believe.
Laaaaaaaaand of the “freeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”
He was certainly brave!
home of the blazed
At least it’s not for inappropriate relations with a swimmer?!?
I can’t believe how much I agree with this comment, as well as how sad that is.