A licensed cannabis grower who contends Smithfield police lied about having a confidential source so they could illegally search his warehouse now alleges police also destroyed key evidence that could have proved he wasn't exceeding his grow limits.
"This case is a travesty of justice," wrote lawyer Megan Sheehan in court papers filed Friday for her client Joseph Ricci. "Indeed, it is patently clear here that the destruction of this evidence was intentional or intended to suppress the truth." "Between the intentional destruction of contested vital evidence and impermissible police fabrications, it certainly appears that the conduct in this case was done in bad faith," she continued.
Since Smithfield police searched and confiscated Ricci's warehouse at 256 Putnam Pike in 2017, Ricci and investigators for both the state and the town have been at odds in a long-running lawsuit over the civil forfeiture of his property. Much of the debate has centered on the confiscated cannabis.
Ricci, who is also a contractor, grew cannabis as a cannabis patient himself and as a "caregiver" for two other patients. Following the search, the police charged him with possession with intent to deliver and possession of 1 to 5 kilograms of marijuana. In announcing the arrest, the police said detectives seized 42 cannabis plants and individual bags of cannabis weighing, in total, more than 1 kilogram. The actual weight of the confiscated cannabis, however, some of which was still "wet" and not yet useable, has remained in dispute.
Read more at providencejournal.com