MAN CHARGED WITH SELLING THC-LACED EDIBLES TO KIDS

D.A.: Arrest: Quashon Rice used Instagram to market and sell the drug products Investigation began after East Norriton middle school student fell ill

Photo on Quashon Rice’s Instagram profile.

NORRISTOWN »

A Philadelphia man used children’s cereals and snacks to manufacture homemade THC-laced edibles and used his Instagram account to advertise and sell the products to Montgomery County juveniles as young as 11, delivering them to children outside schools, parks and their homes, according to prosecutors.

Quashon Rice, 20, of the 500 block of East Penn Street, was arraigned before District Court Judge Marc Alfarano on multiple counts of possession with intent to deliver controlled substances, solicitation of minors to traffic drugs, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of controlled substances

Quashon Rice allegedly posted a menu of his products on Instagram. and corruption of minors in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between March 1 and June 13.

Rice was remanded to the county jail in lieu of $95,000 cash bail to await a June 27 preliminary hearing on the charges.

Rice’s arrest was announced on Wednesday by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Upper Merion Police Chief Thomas Nolan and East Norriton Interim Public Safety Director Philip Pulaski.

“This defendant was targeting children as young as 11 years old to sell his drugs to, embedding

Quashon Rice

Quashon Rice allegedly posted this advertisememt for ‘treats’ on his Instagram account. drugs in cereals and snack products that appeal to children. He then sold them where children are — on social media, specifically Instagram, where he would show the product as well as provide step-by-step instructions for how the kids could order the edibles and have them delivered,” Steele said.

“This defendant’s illegal drug trafficking business supplying drugs to children and encouraging children to be drug dealers is an egregious case,” Steele added. “We will be seeking a long state prison sentence so that he will be in a place where he won’t be able to harm any more children.”

Investigators identified 18 juveniles between the ages of 11 and 17 to whom Rice allegedly sold the products that contained tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, an active ingredient of cannabis, according to court documents.

The investigation began on May 10, when an East Norriton police officer working as a school resource officer responded to the cafeteria of East Norriton Middle School for a report that a student was provided an edible marijuana snack without the student’s knowledge, according to Upper Merion Detective Michael Laverty, who is cross-sworn as a county detective, and East Norriton Police Officer Jared Weiner.

School security officials observed the student acting strange and hovering over a lunch table, “upset, his eyes were watery and red.” The