Pikeville police: Local man wanted for making marijuana-infused candies
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on February 7, 2017 2:53 PM
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The THC-infused candies seized by Pikeville police during an investigation at 601 Yvonne Drive in late January. Officers seized hundreds of the candies, which were designed to look identical to Sour Patch Kids.
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The marijuana, paraphernalia and candies seized by Pikeville police in late January. Brandon Jackson Duren, 22, was given misdemeanor and felony drug charges.
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Pikeville police officer Chase Serlick sits with the evidence seized from a drug bust he coordinated in late January. The bust was Serlick's second in the span of around a month since he joined to the force.
The Pikeville Police Department has secured arrest warrants for a man accused of creating marijuana-infused candies to sell, according to a press release.
According to the report, on Jan. 28 officers from the Pikeville and Fremont police departments responded to a loud music complaint in a trailer at 601 Yvonne Drive in Pikeville. Upon reaching to trailer, the officers could smell marijuana coming from inside. They then made contact with Brandon Jackson Duren, 22, of 508 New Hope Road Apartment C3, and received consent to search the residence.
Once inside, the officers seized marijuana and drug paraphernalia, as well as 38 bags of marijuana-infused candy made to look like Sour Patch Kids.
Pikeville Police Chief Craig Edwins said that Duren had been manufacturing the candies in the trailer by using a butane torch to extract hash oil from marijuana, which he then used to make the candies.
Edwins said that the candies, which were bagged three at a time, were approximately 70 to 80 percent THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
"People could eat one of those things and just get as high as can be," he said. "We want to make sure that, if parents saw their kids with some of that candy and there's no box, they're aware of that."
In addition to the 38 wrapped bags, the officers also seized a larger single bag containing 69 pieces, as well as a small amount of THC-laced lip balm, according to the release.
Edwins said that Duren had been selling the candies for around $3 a piece, and that he had around $1,000 invested in the operation.
Edwins commended recently-hired officer Chase Serlick for his work on the case.
"This is a good lick, especially by an officer who has been out of training about a month," he said.
Duren was initially charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and given a $1,000 unsecured bond. After consulting with the Wayne County District Attorney's Office, the Pikeville police secured felony warrants for possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, and manufacturing a schedule VI controlled substance, according to the release.
Duren has not yet been arrested on those warrants.