The Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration’s (ABCA) Enforcement Division, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), executed a closure order on Bouquet Labs DC, located at 1110 Okie Street NE, on Monday, May 5, 2025. The action comes as a direct response to the business posing an “imminent danger to public health and safety,” according to the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis (ABC) Board.

A litany of serious violations led to the shutdown. The location had been pending approval for opening as legal medical cultivation center, but it was allegedly growing and distributing unlicensed cannabis products while continuing to pursue its final license. Bouquet Labs DC was found to be actively engaged in the growing, harvesting and distribution of cannabis products without possessing the final cultivation license, according to the ABCA press release. Authorities emphasized that such licenses are only granted after rigorous regulatory inspections are successfully completed which Bouquet Labs had not yet done.

Further compounding the issue, the business operator failed to account for harvested and distributed cannabis products within Metrc, the District’s mandatory seed-to-sale compliance tracking system. This lack of transparency raises significant concerns about the origin and safety of the distributed cannabis.

Bouquet Labs DC also neglected to test its harvested products through an ABCA-licensed testing laboratory before distribution. The facility itself was also found to be unsecured and accessible to the public, a violation of regulations designed to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, the business employed unregistered individuals.

Prior to the closure, a joint inspection on April 12 by the District’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the Department of Buildings revealed a host of additional safety hazards. These included a non-operational fire panel, unsafe electrical and flammable liquid and tank connections and unpermitted construction work.

Given the confluence of hazardous conditions and the business’s unlicensed operation, the MPD acted under an emergency search warrant, seizing 999 cannabis plants from the premises, according to the press release.

ABCA had reported 50 closures of retail locations prior to this closure. However, Bouquet Labs DC was the first grow facility shutdown, particularly notable because they had a pending license at the same location of the alleged illegal activity.

Bouquet Lab DC’s license was awarded before the current medical cannabis expansion back in 2022. The business was registered to Almustafa El Hillo, Deron Cooper and Antoine Pritchett at that time. It is unclear who is still involved from the original business as D.C.’s corporate ownership records of cannabis licenses is not readily public or available.

The company also has a medical dispensary license from 2022 that it opened on H street in 2024 called Dispensary Near Me, also registered under El Hillo. The same company has a conditional manufacturing license at 10 G Street NE as well.

A Maryland cannabis processor business under a similar LLC name opened in 2023 registered under Almustafa El Hillo, Deron Cooper and Jahnero Davis. El Hillo did not respond to request for comment when reached by phone. The location that was raided had its last ABC Board appearance in November 2023 when it transferred its location from Chillum Place N.W. to the current Okie Street location.