Thieves strike at Green Lava Labs for a third time

For the third time, Green Lava Labs Limited, a medicinal marijuana company at Queensbury, Vermont has been targetted by thieves.

Last Friday, January 27, local security firm, Sheriff PSS Incorporated, issued a press release informing the public that they had foiled an attempted robbery at the storage facility.

According to reports, five persons, one armed with a gun, and one with a cutlass, entered the compound around 2:00 a.m., tied up the live-in caretaker and attempted to enter the storeroom where marijuana is stored.

“Our armed security operative engaged the bandits directly, firing several shots, causing the bandits to flee, without being able to break into the building and storage rooms.

“Operations Control was contacted and our Executive Director Mr. Jason Greene and Operations Commander Mr. Cox responded immediately to provide additional support. The police was contacted and responded promptly within 15 minutes,” the Sheriff PSS Incorporated press release said.

A source told SEARCHLIGHT that the live-in caretaker receive two chops, one to a hand and the other to the back, and was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) where he is in stable condition.

This is the third incident of this nature that has placed Green Lava Labs in the news.

Tuesday, January 31, Jimmy Nickie, a resident of Vermont, was scheduled to reappear in the Serious Offences Court where he is facing four charges in relation to an incident involving Green Lava Labs on December 5, 2022.

When Nickie last appeared in court, he pled not guilty to charges that he entered the storeroom of Green Lava Labs as a trespasser and stole 53 kilograms of medicinal marijuana valued at $214,650.00.

He also pleaded not guilty that he had in his possession one home made firearm, make and serial number unknown, without a license under the Firearms Act, and that he entered the dwelling house of Merland Finch as a trespasser and at the time had a weapon of offence, to wit, a gun.

Another charge is that, he discharged a firearm at Merland Finch. Finch works with Green Lava Labs.

In July, 2021, while conducting investigations into stolen marijuana plants from Green Lava Labs, the police were led to the residence of Simeon Wilson in Queensbury, Vermont where they found marijuana.

However, the 30-year-old farmer was not charged with theft; he was charged with possession of the controlled drug as he denied stealing the medicinal herb from Green Lava Labs, and the police could not prove that he did.

Wilson appeared in the Serious Offences Court on Tuesday, July 20, 2021 charged for possession of 5902 grammes of marijuana.

This was because, a few moments earlier, the court had heard that on Sunday, July 18, the police at Vermont were investigating a report of theft of plants from the Lab at Queensbury, and acting on information received, they set out to find Wilson. Upon meeting him, the police took him to his home in Queensbury, where they executed a search warrant. In Wilson’s bedroom, the officers found a quantity of marijuana plants resting on black plastic and brown crocus sack.

“Officer me cut them dey from me backyard outside me house,” he told police constable 816 Solomon.

The group moved to his backyard, where the officer noted a single three foot high cannabis plant, which was intact, and without any cut marks. He also noticed that it was a different “grade” to the marijuana plants found inside the house.

Wilson was then taken into custody.

Green Lava Labs, a medicinal cannabis cultivation company was launched in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), on Friday, November 15, 2019.

On July 10, 2019 Green Lava (SVG) Inc. was among the first companies to be granted a Class C Medical Marijuana Cultivation License.  This allows them to extract, import, export, dispense and cultivate up to 25 acres of cannabis. SVG is the company’s flagship headquarters for the Caribbean.

Green Lava’s first 5-acre farm has a capacity of over 8500 pounds per year, and there are plans to reach the full capacity that should bring the yearly yield of over 35,000 pounds.

RELATED ARTICLE: Vermont man charged for stealing 53 kilograms of medicinal marijuana from Green Lava Lab