Cannabis and Biotech Board Chair Arrested for Securities Fraud

A cannabis and biotechnology entrepreneur was arrested and charged with securities fraud over his secret sale of shares in two companies in which he served as board chairman.

Avtar S. Dhillon, 60, executive chairman of medical marijuana firm Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc., was arrested Wednesday on charges brought by federal prosecutors in Boston, who said he made more than $2 million from the scheme.

Dhillon, a Canadian national living in California, will make his initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. A lawyer for Dhillon couldn’t immediately be identified. Vancouver-based Emerald Health declined to ...