Care By Design Working on Re-Opening Their Doors After Police Raid Finds Nothing

Sonoma County-based Care By Design was raided by authorities June 15. Local police, under the authority of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), responded to a tip-off from a disgruntled former employee and descended upon the premises. The search turned out to be a false alarm and the accusations didn’t hold any weight.

Dennis Franklin Hunter, 43, was arrested for allegedly violating city codes and producing hash oil using hazardous materials. Hunter’s bail was immediately set, and at the hefty price tag of $5 million dollars.

“We believe that they acted on false witness information that we were running a butane operation to manufacture hash oil. The warrant was specifically targeted towards butane,” Nick Caston, the spokesperson for Care By Design, told CULTURE in an exclusive interview. “It’s not a part of our production process and it never has been. We don’t even create hash oil.”

Care By Design operates under the CBD guild. The company processes cannabis using high-pressure carbon dioxide, not butane. By using CO2, they are able to extract not only THC and CBD, but also the valuable terpenes found in cannabis. The ingredients are used to manufacture oil-infused sprays, gel caps and oil cartridges for AbsoluteXtracts. Oil cartridges aid patients who are unable or unwilling to smoke.

Police seized cash, equipment and paperwork over the course of the raid. Activists immediately began protesting at the Sonoma County Courthouse.

“The comparison here is kind of ridiculous. The terrorist that targeted the Pride event in West Hollywood was held on a $2 million dollar bail,” Caston added. “The bail set at $5 million dollars was pretty excessive. They obviously released Derek Hunter without any charges. Within 48 hours, they corrected that overreaction.”  It didn’t take long for authorities to realize they were in the wrong, and setting bail so quickly only furthered their obvious wrong-doing.

Care By Design has always operated within California law, so it is bizarre that something as inconclusive as a tip from a disgruntled employee sparked a raid that not only involved local police, but also called for federal support from the DEA. Rather than wasting the public’s tax dollars to raid a business with an upstanding reputation for compliance, local police could have entered the establishment for a normal routine investigation. It appears authorities instead used excessive measures, only to find a compliant operation.

The unnamed “ex-engineer” who made the call operated processing machines. He allegedly stole equipment and trade secrets before the falling out.

“We’re currently working to resume our operations for the patients that rely on us in the state of California,” Caston said.