Former pot officer, entrepreneur charged in trafficking ring

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - A former Colorado marijuana enforcement officer and a marijuana entrepreneur are among those accused of being involved with a large trafficking ring that shipped pot out of state.

Former pot officer Renee Rayton, Scott Pack and two growers were indicted June 7 by a grand jury, joining 16 others indicted in connection with the ring in March. According to the indictment, first reported on by The Cannabist on Tuesday, Pack's businesses had marijuana licenses but allegedly never made a legal sale, serving instead as a front for the trafficking operation.

Investigators say Rayton, a former Pitkin County sheriff's deputy, was hired away from her job at the Colorado Department of Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division in the fall of 2016 by Pack to work as a compliance consultant for $8,000 a month for six months. Rayton, whose job at the state included inspecting warehouses for compliance with regulations, allegedly refused to say where she was going and was earning money from the operation within about two weeks of leaving, according to the indictment. State licensing policies require regulators to wait six months before working in industries they once regulated.

Rayton, who was arrested and released on bond, and Pack, who is wanted for arrest, could not be reached for comment.

The ring allegedly shipped pot to Arkansas, Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri because investigators say many of those involved had personal and business connections in those states.

Investigators say the marijuana was grown across Colorado but most came from warehouses and farms in Colorado Springs, Denver and Elizabeth, a small town between those cities.