The owner of a South Broad Street smoke shop has been arrested following a two-month investigation into illegal marijuana sales, said Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta Marbrey.
Moses Sutton, 32, of Trenton, was charged Sept. 2 with two counts of third-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.
Prosecutors said Sutton had been selling marijuana products without a license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission at “Moe Weed,” his store at 1114 South Broad Street.
The Mercer County Narcotics Task Force, working with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Trenton Police Department, launched the investigation in the spring after receiving tips from residents, social media, and public websites.
Investigators made multiple undercover purchases in July and August, seizing about six ounces of marijuana with an estimated street value of $2,000.
“This operation should serve as a notice to unlicensed distributors who are illegally selling cannabis without complying with state standards and regulations,” Marbrey said.
“These dispensaries will be subject to investigation, which may result in the seizure of illegally sold marijuana and the arrest of individuals engaged in its sale without a license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission,” Marbrey said.
Sutton was released pending future court appearances. Prosecutors noted that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
According to an article by The Trentonian newspaper, Sutton had been widely advertising his business through billboards and other methods in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
He told the paper he is suing the City of Trenton for damages after city officials denied his cannabis license, despite what he described as having approvals from the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the Trenton Zoning Board and the city’s cannabis board. Sutton said the final step required was approval from City Council.
“I did everything correctly,” Sutton told The Trentonian. “The entire process. I had conditional cannabis license, approved from Trenton’s cannabis board, and approved for zoning.”
The Trentonian also reported that Sutton previously ran for mayor of Trenton and was arrested in 2021 after police raided the same South Broad Street shop.
At that time, police seized five pounds of hashish and more than $16,000 in cash. Sutton was charged with assaulting officers, weapons offenses related to pepper spray possession, and maintaining a booby-trapped premises equipped with a camera system. Sutton told the paper at the time that he was only selling CBD products.
