The owner of a Portage Park smoke shop targeted in a white supremacist hate crime this summer has a new problem. Prosecutors on Friday charged him with felony cannabis distribution for allegedly selling pot to undercover cops who went into his store.
Arcan Abu-hashish, 32, is charged with felony manufacture-delivery of cannabis, felony possession of cannabis, and two counts of misdemeanor manufacture-delivery of cannabis.
Prosecutors said a clerk at Abu-hashish’s Supreme Smoke store sold between 3.5 and 14 grams of pot to undercover cops three times between August 12 and August 27. On Thursday, police also found a little less than five ounces of pot inside Abu-hashish’s backpack, according to the allegations.
Supreme Smoke is not licensed to sell cannabis, officials said.
Judge Mary Marubio released him on his own recognizance.
In June, Abu-hashish spoke out after Supreme Smoke and a nearby cannabis dispensary were defaced with swastikas and racist prison gang symbols.
Prosecutors charged Brodie Blakeslee, 57, with the crimes. He told police he defaced the stores “to let Black Lives Matter supporters know the neighborhood was protected,” an assistant state’s attorney said during his bail hearing on July 3.
Abu-hashish identified Blakeslee from surveillance video after recognizing swastika and AW tattoos on the offender’s arm, leg, chest, and body, officials said. An assistant state’s attorney said Blakeslee used to work for Supreme Smoke, but the Chicago Tribune reported that Abu-hashish recognized the vandal as a former customer.
During an interview with police, Blakeslee allegedly admitted to defacing Supreme Smoke but claimed he had no recollection of painting the other store. According to the allegations, he told police that “AW” stood for “Aryan Warriors,” his prison gang, and the swastikas represented white reunification.
He also told police that he knew both stores displayed signs supporting Black Lives Matter and he “aimed to let Black Lives Matter supporters know the neighborhood was protected,” the prosecutor said.
According to sheriff’s office records, Blakeslee remains in the Cook County jail as of Saturday morning. He is charged with committing a hate crime.
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