DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A massive drug investigation that authorities described as a $2.8 million marijuana bust is facing new questions.
Attorneys for some of the six people arrested say investigators charged their clients with felony marijuana offenses before laboratory testing confirmed whether the seized cannabis products were actually illegal.
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Channel 2 Action News obtained surveillance video, arrest warrants, law enforcement reports, state licensing records and laboratory reports as defense attorneys challenge key parts of the case.
Attorney Tom Church represents Nooruddin “Nick” Rajwani, who Church says owns and operates Air Distro, a licensed hemp wholesale business in DeKalb County.
“We have a bunch of people arrested, charged with felony marijuana offenses, but no test results to actually prove that these products were marijuana,” Church told Channel 2 investigative reporter Michael Seiden.
Church is working alongside multiple attorneys representing defendants in the case, including Whitney Scherck Baker.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office declined to respond to Channel 2’s specific questions about the defense’s allegations, citing the ongoing investigation.
Investigation began near Georgia-Alabama state line
Records obtained by Channel 2 show the investigation began Aug. 3, nearly 50 miles away from the DeKalb County warehouse.
A Haralson County Sheriff’s Office incident report says a deputy was sitting in the median of Interstate 20 near the Georgia-Alabama state line watching eastbound traffic when the investigation began.
The report lists the location as I-20 eastbound at mile marker 6 in Tallapoosa.
The driver, identified in court records as Mario Reyers-Serna, was later arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana.
A sworn Haralson County arrest warrant alleges Reyers-Serna knowingly brought approximately 1,000 pounds of marijuana into Georgia.
The warrant says Reyers-Serna was the sole occupant of a box truck containing large cardboard boxes filled with what investigators described as individual “pre-roll marijuana blunts.”
Defense attorneys representing people later arrested in DeKalb dispute law enforcement’s characterization of the products as marijuana.
“Pre-rolls are products that are basically pre-rolled hemp cigarettes,” Church said.
Church says investigators detained and questioned the driver and then followed the shipment to determine where the products were being delivered.
“He met up with individuals who are associated with the licensed hemp business, delivered the products, and then police arrested everyone,” Church said.
Court records reviewed by Channel 2 show Reyers-Serna lives in White City, Oregon. He was charged with felony marijuana trafficking and granted a $25,000 bond.
Haralson warrant alleges 1,000 pounds; DeKalb warrant identifies 13.07 pounds
The records reveal a substantial difference between the amount of suspected marijuana alleged in the original Haralson County warrant and the amount identified in DeKalb arrest warrants following the controlled delivery.
The Haralson warrant alleges Reyers-Serna’s box truck contained approximately 1,000 pounds of marijuana.
A DeKalb arrest warrant, however, identifies 13.07 pounds of suspected marijuana allegedly possessed and transported in a Sprinter van following the controlled delivery.
According to the DeKalb warrant, investigators watched the box truck back up to the van and saw three co-defendants remove 20 large boxes.
The warrant alleges the cooperating driver and three men then entered the business, where the driver was paid $5,000 from a safe.
Investigators said the three men then got into the van.
The warrant says a K-9 alerted during a subsequent traffic stop and investigators recovered more than 13 pounds of what they described as marijuana, including pre-rolled joints.
The records reviewed by Channel 2 do not explain how much of the approximately 1,000-pound load alleged in Haralson County was intended for the DeKalb business, how much remained in the box truck after the controlled delivery or where any remaining product was headed.
Defense questions allegations in arrest warrants
Defense attorneys are also raising questions about whether portions of the sworn arrest warrants match the investigative narrative.
Baker, who represents Salim Vadsaria, says essentially the same probable-cause paragraph appears in warrants for several defendants.
The defense contends the underlying investigative report describes the controlled delivery differently, including who actually handled the boxes and who was present when the driver was paid.
Baker argues those differences matter because the statements in the warrants were used to establish probable cause for felony arrests.
Business held Georgia hemp wholesaler license
Defense attorneys say another important piece of context was not part of the initial public description of the bust: The warehouse was being operated by a state-licensed hemp wholesaler.
Records provided to Channel 2 show Air Distro LLC was registered as an active Georgia company with its principal office at 4744 Hammermill Road in Tucker — the same location investigators searched.
The defense also provided documentation showing Air Distro held a Georgia hemp wholesaler license issued April 28, 2026, and valid through Dec. 31, 2026.
Church says the distinction is critical because cannabis products containing THC can be legal under Georgia law if they comply with the state’s requirements for hemp products.
“Ever since 2019, we now have a broad range of cannabis products, including intoxicating products with THC that are legal to possess, legal to consume, legal to sell,” Church said.
A hemp license, however, does not establish that every product possessed or sold by a licensed business complies with state law.
Whether the products seized in this investigation were legal ultimately depends on the products themselves and applicable testing and regulatory requirements.
Surveillance video shows owner stopped, then released
Channel 2 also obtained surveillance video showing deputies following Rajwani into a Waffle House parking lot after he left the warehouse.
Church says deputies searched Rajwani and brought a police K-9 to the scene.
But Rajwani was not arrested that day.
“We know that Mr. Rajwani was stopped, had K-9s brought over. The canines did not alert,” Church said. “He voluntarily told the officers that he had some products in his car. The officers debated amongst themselves whether these products are legal or not, and ultimately let him go.”
Church says the encounter illustrates what he believes was uncertainty among investigators about the legality of the cannabis products.
“There was a lot of confusion on the scene about whether these products were legal or not,” Church said.
Church also claims the Georgia Department of Agriculture was not contacted despite the agency’s role regulating the hemp industry.
“From what we can tell, the Department of Agriculture was never called, even though this is their area of regulation,” Church said.
Channel 2 has not independently confirmed whether investigators contacted the Department of Agriculture.
Investigators later obtained warrants for business owner
Several days after Rajwani was allowed to leave, investigators obtained arrest warrants for him.
One of those warrants alleges investigators executed a search warrant at the business and recovered approximately 16,000 pre-rolled marijuana cigarillos weighing approximately 22 pounds.
The warrant also alleges Rajwani admitted owning the business.
Church says an investigator later contacted Rajwani and asked him to come to the station without initially disclosing that an arrest warrant had been issued.
Church says he contacted the investigator, eventually learned about the warrant and offered to make his client available.
Rajwani surrendered after learning he was wanted.
Defense says state was awaiting GBI testing
The central dispute now involves testing of the seized products.
Church says prosecutors acknowledged during bond proceedings that the state was still waiting for test results.
“The state admitted at the bond hearings that they were waiting on test results,” Church said. “They’ve requested expedited testing by the GBI, but what that tells us is they don’t have those test results now.”
Church argues investigators arrested and charged people before knowing whether the products met the legal definition of marijuana.
“They’ve arrested people, they’ve locked them up, they’ve charged them with felony marijuana offenses based on the fact that these products look like marijuana, smell like marijuana and may or may not have some THC,” Church said. “But we don’t actually know that they’re illegal or not.”
Channel 2 asked the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office whether the products seized during the investigation were field tested, whether they have undergone confirmatory laboratory testing and whether investigators had test results before obtaining the arrest warrants.
The sheriff’s office declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Defense provides lab results from earlier product
The defense also provided Channel 2 with certificates of analysis, commonly called COAs in the hemp industry.
One laboratory report reviewed by Channel 2 tested an earlier sample of a similar pre-roll product.
The report showed a delta-9 THC concentration of 0.22%.
Church says Rajwani’s business had products tested by licensed laboratories to ensure they complied with legal limits.
“In this case, we don’t just have a licensed hemp operation,” Church said. “We have a licensed hemp operation that goes the extra mile. Specifically, Mr. Rajwani through his business would have some of these products tested by a licensed lab here in Georgia to make sure that these products are under the legal limit.”
There is an important limitation to that evidence: The laboratory report provided to Channel 2 is not a test of the products seized by investigators during the Aug. 3 operation.
It therefore does not establish whether the seized products were legal hemp or illegal marijuana.
The defense argues it does demonstrate why the appearance of a cannabis product alone may not establish its legality.
“Right now we have our test results showing that our products are legal,” Church said. “We’ve asked the DA and the sheriff to meet with us. They won’t meet with us.”
Warehouse search warrant raises another question
Channel 2 also reviewed the court copy of the search warrant used at Air Distro’s warehouse.
The warrant identifies the location as 4744 Hammermill Road, Suite 306, in Tucker.
It authorized investigators to search for and seize items including illegal narcotics, U.S. currency and proceeds allegedly obtained from the sale of illegal narcotics, a safe, contraband, a vehicle and weapons.
The search warrant return says investigators executed the search on Aug. 3 and left a copy of the warrant and receipt on the front office desk.
But the copy obtained and reviewed by Channel 2 appears to be missing a key part of the return.
The return specifically states that the inventory of property seized during the search is contained in an attached five-page list labeled pages 1 through 5.
Those five inventory pages are not included in the six-page court copy reviewed by Channel 2.
Defense attorneys say they have requested the missing pages as they attempt to determine exactly what investigators seized from the business.
“We know that a lot of products, a lot of cash, personal vehicles were seized, so that is concerning as well,” Church said.
Six people facing charges
Six people were ultimately arrested in connection with the DeKalb investigation.
Four defendants face marijuana trafficking charges.
Church says one man who was at the business for what the defense describes as an unrelated personal reason was charged with felony marijuana possession.
Rajwani’s wife was also arrested. Church says she was not involved in operating the business and was charged based on THC products allegedly found in her vehicle.
Church says the arrests have had consequences beyond the criminal cases.
“Some lives have been ruined,” he said.
According to Church, one defendant bonded out of jail but was subsequently taken into immigration custody.
Church says Rajwani’s wife has struggled emotionally since her arrest.
“It’s been a very traumatic situation for these people involved,” Church said. “Mr. Rajwani’s wife wasn’t even involved in the business, and she was incarcerated, and she’s having a tough time going to sleep every night.”
Warehouse remains dark
When Channel 2 visited Air Distro’s warehouse Wednesday, the doors were locked and the lights were off.
Church says Rajwani is afraid to return even to make sure the business is secure after the raid.
“Mr. Rajwani is scared to go back to his warehouse to make sure that it’s been locked up after police raided it, because he’s afraid that they might just arrest him again,” Church said.
Church says the case raises broader concerns about making arrests before investigators have definitive answers about the products involved.
“I think any time law enforcement arrests first and investigates later, it puts all of our rights at risk,” Church said.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has not publicly released laboratory results for the products seized in the investigation and declined to answer Channel 2’s questions because the case remains under investigation.
The defense’s earlier laboratory testing does not establish that the products seized Aug. 3 were legal.
That leaves a central question in the case unresolved: What will laboratory testing of the actual seized products show?
“I think the bottom line is they arrested first and asked questions later. They arrested first and investigated later,” Church said.
“Right now we don’t know the truth, and if we don’t know the truth, we shouldn’t be arresting people and locking them up and charging them with crimes.”
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