A Maine garden store owner was arrested on drug trafficking charges on Wednesday in the quiet town of Lewiston.
Sami-Luqman Muhammad, 38, was arrested after agents say they seized 150 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine from his store, The Garden of Via, and from his home.
His arrest followed a three-month long investigation, including undercover agents who allegedly bought cocaine from Muhammad.
During a search of his home, the plant store owner was discovered to have evidence of trafficking drugs including $2,600 in suspected drug money and varying amounts of MDMA or Ecstasy.
Muhammad was arrested during a traffic stop before being booked into Androscoggin County Jail but was since released on a $20,000 bail.
On Wednesday, The Garden of Via addressed ‘certain allegations’ in a Facebook post.
‘We at The Garden of Via are committed to our community in sharing our love for gardening. You may have seen recent news articles claiming certain allegations,’ the post read.
‘Unfortunately, the court of public opinion deems you guilty until proven innocent.’
Sami-Luqman Muhammad (pictured), 38, was arrested after agents claimed to have seized 150 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine from his store, The Garden of Via, and from his home
‘We at The Garden of Via are committed to our community in sharing our love for gardening. You may have seen recent news articles claiming certain allegations,’ the post read. ‘Unfortunately, the court of public opinion deems you guilty until proven innocent’
During a search of his home, the plant store owner was discovered to have evidence of trafficking drugs including $2,600 in suspected drug money and amounts of MDMA or Ecstasy
‘Although we are all far from perfect, a work in progress in many aspects of our lives, I opened The Garden of Via to uplift the Lewiston/Auburn area with something positive and never done before,’ the post continued.
‘My passion for plants gave me the realization that I should share my expertise with the larger community.’
The post said that the store would remain open and thanked everyone who has supported the business.
One comment poked at the post and said: ‘Don’t get me wrong I love your store idea, but bro don’t sell drugs to cops lmao… or period.’
‘Please don’t misunderstand this post. This is definitely not an admission of guilty. Opinions are not equivalent to convictions. Thank you for your concern nonetheless,’ The Garden of Via responded.
Muhammed told WMTW: ‘I’ve gotten a few messages from people that have been supporting, and obviously some other messages, but it is what it is. I’m going to keep on rolling and try my hardest to uplift the community with these plants.’
His store is set to hold a grand opening on May 2. He also hopes to host events for children as well as recovering addicts.
‘I do plan on hosting some events for children and people in recovery because I’m a recovering addict myself, so I definitely want to host some nights and stuff for recovery and have some party nights with children,’ he told the outlet.
‘All I want to do is just provide open space for the community and bring some positive vibes into the area.’
