Police raid seven pot dispensaries, arrest nine people

_ (press release) _ (Ottawa) - On November 3rd and 4th, the Ottawa Police Service Drug Unit executed warrants at seven (7) Ottawa marihuana dispensaries. The warrants were conducted at:

*       290 Montreal Road

*       352 Preston Street

*       256 Bank Street

*       358 Rideau Street

*       293 St Laurent Blvd

*       2288 St Joseph Blvd

*       33 Roydon Place (Nov. 3)

https://twitter.com/JacquieAMiller/status/794610862447362048

Items seized included:

*       Marihuana

*       Hashish

*       Hash Oil

*       THC Concentrate (“Shatter”)

*       Edibles in various forms including cookies and other baked goods, soft drinks

*       Cash

*       Documentary evidence

A total of nine (9) people have been arrested and they will be facing a number of charges, including:

*       Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking

*       Possession of Proceeds of Crime

“We take community complaints regarding criminal activities seriously and have been conducting investigations on these locations for an extended period of time,” said S/Sgt Rick Carey, Drug Unit. “The reality is that each of these warrants requires a great deal of time and resources. We will continue to investigate dispensaries as complaints come forward.”

The new Health Canada regulations related to medicinal marihuana (Access to Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes Regulations - ACMPR) came into effect on August 24th.

Ottawa Police have been working closely with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (Federal Crown), the office responsible for prosecuting drug crimes, on these matters since ACMPR came into effect. That includes staff involved with implementing national strategies surrounding any future changes to laws involving marihuana (personal or medicinal).

Anyone with information regarding drug complaints is encouraged to contact the Ottawa Police at 613-236-1222 ext. 7300. Reports can be made online at Ottawapolice.cahttps://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/contact-us/Online-Reporting.asp. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa Police app.