December 11, 2024—The Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery (DLL) Office of Compliance and Enforcement received a tip from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD). The Department received information from a concerned citizen who indicated that cigarettes and cannabis products were being sold from an unlicensed person. The complainant advised that the unlicensed person was an employee of Family Dollar and that the illegal products were being sold in front of a licensed establishment, Family Dollar in Orleans, Vermont.
The investigation revealed that the Store Manager, Darcie Poginy, age 46, was selling cigarettes and cannabis products from the back of her car in the parking lot of Family Dollar. In total an Investigator for the Department of Liquor and Lottery seized the following items from Poginy’s vehicle:
a. 28 Cartons of Seneca and Du Port Cigarettes,
b. 89 Choice Slab Vapes Various Varieties,
c. 15 -7g Cannabis Pack and 2- 3.5g cannabis pack- Total 5.2 oz of Cannabis,
d. 5 -28.1g containers of Honey Butane Oil “BHO”,
e. 10 -2500mg Cannabis Chocolate Bars and 3 -300mg Cannabis Chocolate Bars,
f. 81 individually pre rolled Cannabis joints. 4.3 oz of cannabis.
g. Pre bagged cigarettes (200 per gab)- Total 43,600 cigarettes.
Poginy was issued a citation to appear in Orleans County Criminal Court on January 27th, 2025, at 8:30 to answer for the charges of:
a. Possession and Control of Regulated Drugs (Cannabis) in violation of Title 18 V.S.A. § 4230(b)(2)
b. Unstamped packages in violation of Title 32 V.S.A. § 7778,
c. License required in violation of Title 7 V.S.A. § 1002 (e & g).
Further information can be obtained by contacting: Mike Ferrant, Deputy Commissioner, mike.ferrant@vermont.gov.
