Crime

A Milton woman allegedly ran a black-market marijuana delivery business that made millions. Now she’s being charged.

Deana Martin, 41, bought a Porsche with some of the money she made, authorities said.

A Milton woman is accused of running a black-market marijuana delivery business for three years that allegedly took in millions of dollars, and she bought a Porsche with some of the money she made, authorities said.

Deana Martin, 41, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of conspiring to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana, federal officials said. She was scheduled to appear in Boston’s federal court on Tuesday.

Between 2015 and 2018, Martin allegedly owned and operated Northern Herb, a website that sold a variety of marijuana products — raw marijuana, pre-rolled cigarettes, and edibles. The site claimed it offered medical pot, but didn’t require patients to provide proof, officials said.

Northern Herb had at least 25 employees and used locations in Milton, Canton, Foxborough, and Hyde Park to store and distribute the marijuana, according to authorities.

“It is further alleged that Martin planned for Northern Herb to use a sales team that would be incentivized based on monthly marijuana sales,” the news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “One such incentivized tier, for instance, would be for selling more than 10 pounds of marijuana per month.”

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Between May 2016 and July 2018, Northern Herb allegedly brought in over $14 million in total revenue, and Martin was taking in $80,000 a month, according to officials. Martin allegedly used multiple bank accounts to launder Northern Herb money and also had accounts under a different name “to conceal her control over this money and to hide it from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court,” authorities said.

Along with buying the 2017 Porsche Boxster, Martin used the money to pay more than $300,000 toward her home’s mortgage, the release said.

Taxes were not paid or withdrawn for employees, and workers didn’t receive W-2s or 1099s, officials said. The company also allegedly didn’t pay or withhold taxes for its marijuana sales.

“In an email referencing cannabis taxes charged by one state government, Martin wrote: ‘Zero taxes is still better,’” according to the release.