Man faces criminal charge after THC-laced ice cream sold at Newmarket café

Aqeel Hisham, Portsmouth Herald
Updated ·3 min read

NEWMARKET — A man is facing charges for allegedly lacing coffee-Oreo flavored ice cream with THC that sickened several customers who bought it at a local cafe.

Marc Flore, 43, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on the charge of “tampering with a consumer product.” The laced ice cream was sold at Roots Café in Newmarket and resulted in the hospitalization of several people in March 2023.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt. It means a grand jury found enough evidence to warrant a trial.

The laced ice cream was sold at Roots Café in Newmarket and resulted in the hospitalization of several people in March 2023.
The laced ice cream was sold at Roots Café in Newmarket and resulted in the hospitalization of several people in March 2023.

Flore, who owned Angelo’s Amore ice cream, is accused of storing the THC-laced ice cream with other batches of ice cream in a freezer at the Roots Café between Sept. 19, 2022, and March 17, 2023, according to the indictment.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive component in marijuana.

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Customers hospitalized after eating THC-laced ice cream

Newmarket police said the ice cream was sold to consumers between March 17 and 18, 2023, who were later sickened with symptoms that included "severe dizziness, weakness and exceptionally high heart rates."

According to an investigation by Newmarket police and the Food and Drug Administration, four customers went to the emergency room. All three adult customers and one 16-year-old employee tested positive for high levels of THC at the hospital with one common thread – the coffee-Oreo flavored ice cream they had at Roots Café earlier. All four recovered, according to police.

The investigation revealed the ice cream was not made by the owners of Roots Café, but rather by Angelo’s Amore.Roots Café took over the space that housed Angelo’s Amore ice cream at 55 Main St. The owners of the café, Josh and Amber Enright, had said they bought the remaining stock of Angelo’s ice cream and had been serving it at the cafe.

In a March 24, 2023, Facebook post, the couple said they “cannot believe or understand how this happened,” and stated that they were cooperating with the police.

“We are saddened by this news for those involved, as well as outraged that this could happen to anyone,” the post stated. “ …Our deepest apologies to all involved, and we promise we will do everything in our power to make sure this never happens to anyone ever again.”

Attempts to reach Flore were unsuccessful. If convicted on the charge of tampering with a consumer product, Flore could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations led the investigation with assistance by the Newmarket Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Ward is prosecuting the case.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Man charged with lacing ice cream sold at Newmarket café with THC