Ottawa Police have lowered the boom on seven unlicensed marijuana dispensaries operating in the city.
Nine people were taken into custody on charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime.
The locations hit include addresses on Rideau, Montreal, Preston, Bank, St. Laurent, St. Joseph and Roydon.
Police say officers seized marijuana, hashish, hash oil, THC concentrate, laced baked goods, money and documentary evidence.
At the Green Tree Medical Dispensary on the corner of Montreal Road and Altha, officers methodically gathered marijuana and other evidence, seizing items from the store and loading them into an unmarked van.
Officers told waiting customers that the business was closed for the day.
There are 17 known unlicensed pot dispensaries in Ottawa.
Earlier this week, officers assisted with the eviction of a marijuana dispensary near Merivale and Hunt Club.
Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau says officers have been investigating the dispensaries since the end of August.
“Health Canada made it clear, going forward, that these dispensaries would not be part of the distribution network,” Bordeleau says. “At the end of August, it was clear to us, by Health Canada, that they were illegal.”
Bordeleau says the investigations into other unlicensed dispensaries in Ottawa continue.
“We’re hopeful that today will send a clear message that the Police Service and our community do not want these locations, because they’re illegal, and there may be consequences from an investigative perspective, that they should be put on notice.”
Bordeleau says the Police do not have the authority to shut down the dispensaries, but he hopes the raids will deter them from reopening.
“Hopefully, they’ll get the message that they are illegal and the Police Service does take this seriously, and we will continue investigations, and we will eventually obtain search warrants,” Bordeleau says. “So we’re hoping that they’ll close down on their own accord.”
Staff Sgt. Rick Carey with the Drug Unit would not comment on the exact connection between the seven dispensaries that have been raided thus far, only saying the investigations are ongoing. He says a majority of the marijuana that was being sold came from “western Canada.”
In the future, Bordeleau is hoping the City tightens its rules on issuing licenses to medical dispensaries.
“We believe there’s a loophole right now in the licensing application process with the City. When they’re making their application for their business license, under the zoning law, they only have to identify that they’re a medical dispensary. So, that could be a pharmacy, or a doctor’s office. They don’t ask the question, ‘What are you dispensing?’
“So, we feel that the City could go one step further and ask the question, ‘Are you dispensing marijuana?' If they’re dispensing marijuana, don’t issue them a business license.”