Cocaine Money Mixer Now Runs Legal Weed Stores

A 42‑year‑old man who helped a Mexican drug ring move more than $300, 000 in cash is still running a chain of legal cannabis shops in Illinois. The man was caught in 2021 when delivery men, carrying grocery bags that were actually stacks of money, knocked on his door in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. Prosecutors say he laundered the cash for a major cocaine trafficker. Despite his federal conviction, state regulators still allow him to work in the regulated marijuana market. He is listed as a manager of four dispensaries and a registered agent for eight others under the Ivy Hall name. One of those stores, in Bucktown, was part of Illinois’ effort to give Black and Latino entrepreneurs a chance to own cannabis businesses; the governor even opened it in 2022.The situation raises questions about how the state enforces its own rules. A felon who has been found guilty of laundering drug money is still licensed to sell legal weed, and he remains connected to a network that serves the Chicago suburbs and downstate. The case illustrates a gap between criminal justice outcomes and industry oversight, especially as the cannabis market grows.