Matt Maurer speaks to CBC News on the allegations toward Bonify Medical Cannabis

Ex-management of a Winnipeg-based cannabis producer hired a broker to buy what turned out to be illegal product and led Health Canada to pull the company's sale licence, a third-party investigator says.

George Robinson, who was hired to investigate Bonify Medical Cannabis after two Health Canada product recalls, said three executives, dismissed late last year, used an outside agent to procure illegal cannabis. But Robinson said his review has been unable to verify where the illegal marijuana came from.

Health Canada suspended the sales licence from Winnipeg-based Bonify Medical Cannabis on Monday. A spokesperson said the company was found possessing, distributing and selling product that was purchased from an illegal source.

The company has 10 days to appeal and they intend to do just that. Robinson said previous concerns have already been dealt with.

Matt Maurer, a lawyer who specializes in cannabis legislation, said the allegation — if true — is "unprecedented."

"The legal channels have seed-to-sale tracking, so the government can check from basically the time the plant was grown all the way through the process to when it's sold and trace it back," he said.

"Effectively what [the allegation] means in really simple terms is that … they got it from someone who's not licensed to grow, and then they turned around and took it and sold it to the legal market."

This article was originally published on CBC News. To read the complete article, visit the CBC News website.