Sparta shop owner pleads guilty over 20 lb marijuana operation
Sparta shop owner Devin Pupo pleaded guilty to possessing 5 to 20 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute after investigators seized about 20 pounds from his unlicensed Green Remedies store. He faces up to 10 years in prison and is awaiting sentencing, with $477,135 in cash and a vehicle seized as drug proceeds.
🇺🇸 Green Remedies, Sparta Avenue, Sparta, New Jersey · New Jersey, United States
·
Arrested
1
Charged
1
Convicted
1
Cannabis
9.07 kg
Agencies
Sparta Township Police Department, Sussex County Prosecutor's Office +1
Devin Pupo of Sparta pleaded guilty to illegal marijuana sales charges after a
lengthy investigation.[1]His plea deal reduced the case to second-degree
unlawful possession of more than five but less than 20 pounds of marijuana with
intent to distribute.[1]He faces up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison.[2]
Warrants were executed on Green Remedies, Pupo’s home, vehicles and another
Sparta shop, Zenshine.[2]The searches recovered approximately 20 pounds of
raw marijuana and evidence of illegal drug distribution.[2]Investigators
seized$477,135 in cash, a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban that held about $250,000, a
silver bar and 500 silver coins believed to be drug proceeds.[1]Pupo admitted
the cash was proceeds of weed sales and that he used the vehicle to transport
drugs and facilitate sales.[1]
The Sparta Police Department and the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office Guns,
Gangs and Narcotics Task Force investigated Green Remedies, the Sparta store
owned and run by Pupo.[2]Green Remedies sold hemp-derived products but was
not licensed to sell marijuana.[1]Prosecutor Daniel Perez said the plea was
an important step in holding accountable those behind large-scale illegal
marijuana distribution.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
1
Charged
1
Convicted
1
Cannabis
9.07 kg
Vehicles confiscated
1
Cash confiscated
USD 477,135
Agencies
Sparta Township Police Department; Sussex County Prosecutor's Office; Sussex County Guns, Gangs and Narcotics Task Force
Agency type
Police, Prosecutor
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (9.07 kg)
Setting
Shop
Charge
second-degree unlawful possession of more than five pounds but less than 20 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute
Case stage
Convicted
Region
New Jersey
Date
Approximate
Sources
Patchpatch.comSmoke Shop Owner Admits To Illegally Selling Weed In North Jersey
TAPintotapinto.netSparta Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges, Faces 10 Years in Prison
Open questions the AI reported
The guilty plea date is inferred as Tuesday, 20 October 2026, because Patch published on Friday, 23 October 2026 and said Pupo pleaded guilty on Tuesday; the exact plea date was not stated.
TAPinto reports $447,135.28 in seized cash and values the 2024 Chevrolet Suburban at $75,000, while Patch reports $477,135 in cash with about $250,000 found inside the vehicle; the report uses the $477,135 prosecutor's figure cited by Patch.
TAPinto says the case stems from a 2025 arrest but also says a 2024 investigation led to the arrest; the arrest timeline and how it maps to the May 2025 enforcement action are left open.
The Patch sentencing date of Jan. 15 was not given a year, so it is not recorded as a dated outcome; sentencing had not occurred at publication.
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