Man who sold THC edibles to kids sentenced

NORRISTOWN >> A Philadelphia man who authorities said used children’s cereals and snacks to manufacture homemade marijuana edibles and used his Instagram account to advertise and sell the products to Montgomery County juveniles is on his way to prison.

Quashon Rice, 21, of the 500 block of East Penn Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 2 to 5 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to felony charges of solicitation of minors to traffic drugs, possession with intent to deliver controlled substances, criminal use of a communication facility and firearms not to be carried without a license, specifically a loaded 9mm ghost gun, in connection with incidents that occurred between March 1 and June 13, 2022.

Judge Virgil B. Walker imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement.

Other charges of possession of controlled substances and corruption of minors were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Mills sought the state prison term against Rice.

“This individual was targeting youths and he was selling homemade manufactured edibles containing THC, by his own admission, and he knowingly was selling those products to juveniles as young as 11 and 12,” Mills said. “Some of those juveniles were having negative reactions and obviously that’s a really serious problem.

“I think this sentence hopefully sends a message that you can’t be selling these products to kids,” Mills added.

Investigators identified 18 juveniles between the ages of 11 and 17 to whom Rice sold the products that contained tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, an active ingredient of cannabis, according to court documents. Those drug deals occurred at private residences and other predetermined locations in Norristown, Abington, Conshohocken, Willow Grove, Bridgeport, Lower Merion, King of Prussia and Ambler, detectives said.

The investigation began on May 10, 2022, 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 court papers filed by Upper Merion Detective Michael Laverty, who is crosssworn 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 student claimed another student gave him a “hot chip,” and he was taken to a school nurse to be assessed.

“In the nurse’s office, the sick student described what he ate as a rainbow-colored chewy Rice Krispy treat. The student said it did not taste good upon eating it. The sick student said another student started laughing at him. The sick student then said another student told him he ate a marijuana edible,” Laverty and Weiner wrote in the criminal complaint.

Officials tracked down a student who was selling edibles in school and that student admitted to purchasing the edibles from someone using the Instagram account profile “top2treats,” according to court papers. The juvenile admitted contacting the Instagram account via direct message for the purpose of purchasing THC edibles.

The juvenile advised that the person they communicated with via the Instagram account delivered edibles to the juvenile’s home or met the juvenile in a park or at other predetermined locations. The juvenile said the supplier of the THC edibles always wore a ski mask.

Using a search warrant, detectives obtained records related to the Instagram account “top2treats” and linked it to Rice.

A review of the account uncovered conversations between Rice and numerous juveniles quoting specific prices, delivery fees and a variety of edible THC products available including “Fruity Pebbles, cookies, brownies and Cinnamon Toast Crunch,” according to the arrest affidavit.

“As investigators reviewed the content received from Instagram, it was learned that the user of the Instagram account ‘top2treats’ facilitated the sale of drugs to children at locations including public schools, public parks, an Urban Air trampoline park and his juvenile customer’s homes,” Laverty and Weiner alleged. “Content from the ‘top2treats’ account show that the user specifically knew they were selling drugs to children.”

While Rice lived in Philadelphia, he used his Instagram account to advertise to specific areas of Montgomery County, detectives said.

The criminal complaint highlighted several conversations Rice had with juvenile customers, including one related to a March 28 delivery of edible THC products to a juvenile outside Cheltenham High School, specifically two “bars” for a price of $25.

In each drug deal the Instagram account “top2treats” communicated with the customer’s account to negotiate the sale of specific amounts of drugs for specific amounts of money, detectives said. In some instances, an added delivery fee was included in the final sale price.

“Further, Rice demanded his customers follow very specific instructions when purchasing his homemade drugs, often including a menu,” Laverty and Weiner wrote in the arrest affidavit.

Additionally, investigators uncovered communications indicating Rice sometimes solicited juveniles to assist in selling the THC products by encouraging them to “tag” or share his THC edible advertisements with other juveniles using Instagram, according to court papers. Investigators uncovered photographs of the homemade THC edibles on the Instagram account linked to Rice.

Detectives alleged a review of the Instagram account also uncovered evidence Rice possessed a 9mm ghost gun. Rice subsequently admitted that he did not have a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm, according to court papers.

Detectives ultimately conducted physical surveillance of Rice and “observed Rice engaging in behavior consistent with illegal drug activity,” meeting juvenile customers who appeared to be buying drugs from Rice.

Additionally, detectives observed suspected THC edibles in bulk quantities, packaged for sale, inside a vehicle operated by Rice.

Authorities alleged the THC products Rice offered for sale on his Instagram account were manufactured, baked or cooked, and then packaged for sale inside his residence.

Detectives analyzed cellphone data that linked Rice to drug transactions with juvenile customers at various locations in the county.

Court documents indicate that on June 9 the “top2treats” Instagram account disappeared and was seemingly replaced by a “backup” account operating with a new handle “toptreatz4” and detectives began to follow the new account. Detectives alleged Rice used the new account to continue to facilitate the advertisement and sale of THC products to children.

“Selling drugs via these applications is typically a violation of the application’s user policies and if reported, the applications may delete the accounts without notice,” detectives wrote in court documents.

Quashon Rice