4 ms·

Detroit man making $2k a day with marijuana vending machine

18 points by rmason 5y ago

rmason 5y ago
Here's a 45 second video showing the machine itself which took cash, credit cards and Apple Pay. https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1064759 https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1064759 He operated the machine for four years. He was busted by the Feds for the 18 guns he had in the house based on a tip, not for selling drugs. Course it's illegal for a felon to possess any guns. Al Profit from the YouTube channel American Dope (who has excellent sources in the Detroit underworld) says this guy may walk as long as he testifies about the Detroit cops he paid off to operate.
- refurb 5y ago
  That's such a Detroit story - warms my heart. I remember when I lived there some car pulled out of a grocery store one evening with the occupants firing handguns into the air. Turned out they were a bunch of drunk Detroit PD junior officers. Or the Detroit suburb that basically went bankrupt so it was dissolved and turned back over to the county. The police station was just abandoned with all the paperwork and evidence still there, some of it still on the desks from when the last person just locked the door and went home.
  - rmason 5y ago
    I grew up in Detroit, fifth generation Detroiter. My entire life it went down. But in the last fourteen years it has mounted an incredible comeback. Lots of entrepreneurial activity downtown. I know Microsoft and Twitter have offices downtown. There's a Techstars downtown as well. Yet there's corruption in the police department and city government. Lot less than a few years back but there's still city councilman taking bribes on towing contracts. One widow of a long serving Congressman was caught taking money in a paper bag in a Wendy's parking lot. She spent time in Camp Cupcake with Martha Stewart. Absolutely no shame whatsoever she is running for Wayne County executive. Michigan legislature passed a law saying felons can't run for office for twenty years. But her lawyers think the law is weak and if she wins they will have to let her take office. She's raised a lot of money and has scared off any credible candidates.
- aaron695 5y ago
meerita 5y ago
So the guy will be in jail for gun possession not for selling drugs. Absurd, but I can understand the reasoning for the guns (he was a felon), but he should have the right to defend himself too.
- hparadiz 5y ago
  By federal law you have no right to the 2nd amendment when in possession of any controlled substance including marijuana. Either of those things on their own would be a slap on the wrist to nothing but together you're looking at mandatory minimums. Even in a legal state.
  - meerita 5y ago
    I don't have too much legal information from USA jurisdictions, it's interesting seeing the differences.
  - hulitu 5y ago
    Is not the federal law over the constitution in this case ?
aww_dang 5y ago
I suspect that the 2k was average gross sales per day, not profit.

18 points by rmason 5y ago

Here's a 45 second video showing the machine itself which took cash, credit cards and Apple Pay. https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1064759 https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1064759 He operated the machine for four years. He was busted by the Feds for the 18 guns he had in the house based on a tip, not for selling drugs. Course it's illegal for a felon to possess any guns. Al Profit from the YouTube channel American Dope (who has excellent sources in the Detroit underworld) says this guy may walk as long as he testifies about the Detroit cops he paid off to operate.

refurb 5y ago
That's such a Detroit story - warms my heart. I remember when I lived there some car pulled out of a grocery store one evening with the occupants firing handguns into the air. Turned out they were a bunch of drunk Detroit PD junior officers. Or the Detroit suburb that basically went bankrupt so it was dissolved and turned back over to the county. The police station was just abandoned with all the paperwork and evidence still there, some of it still on the desks from when the last person just locked the door and went home.
- rmason 5y ago
  I grew up in Detroit, fifth generation Detroiter. My entire life it went down. But in the last fourteen years it has mounted an incredible comeback. Lots of entrepreneurial activity downtown. I know Microsoft and Twitter have offices downtown. There's a Techstars downtown as well. Yet there's corruption in the police department and city government. Lot less than a few years back but there's still city councilman taking bribes on towing contracts. One widow of a long serving Congressman was caught taking money in a paper bag in a Wendy's parking lot. She spent time in Camp Cupcake with Martha Stewart. Absolutely no shame whatsoever she is running for Wayne County executive. Michigan legislature passed a law saying felons can't run for office for twenty years. But her lawyers think the law is weak and if she wins they will have to let her take office. She's raised a lot of money and has scared off any credible candidates.
aaron695 5y ago

meerita 5y ago

So the guy will be in jail for gun possession not for selling drugs. Absurd, but I can understand the reasoning for the guns (he was a felon), but he should have the right to defend himself too.

hparadiz 5y ago
By federal law you have no right to the 2nd amendment when in possession of any controlled substance including marijuana. Either of those things on their own would be a slap on the wrist to nothing but together you're looking at mandatory minimums. Even in a legal state.
- meerita 5y ago
  I don't have too much legal information from USA jurisdictions, it's interesting seeing the differences.
- hulitu 5y ago
  Is not the federal law over the constitution in this case ?

aww_dang 5y ago

I suspect that the 2k was average gross sales per day, not profit.