Police in Kingston shut down an unlicensed cannabis dispensary in the city’s downtown core this week, arresting one resident and seizing $170,000 worth of unregulated products.
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The Kingston Police Service said in early November, members of its special services unit learned of an “unlicensed marijuana dispensary operating in the downtown core distributing illicit cannabis-based products.”
They began a formal investigation into the business based in a building at the corner of Queen and Division streets, police said in a media release Friday.
Investigators were then granted a search warrant under the Cannabis Act, through a justice of the peace. That search warrant was executed this week, on Nov. 13, police said, where they allegedly found and seized numerous cannabis-based products, point of sale devices, advertising signage, and unstamped tobacco products.
In total, investigators say they seized 5,254 grams of pre-rolled cannabis joints, 7,582 grams of cannabis infused edible gummies, 4,058 “pre-packaged bud marijuana”, and 1,041 unstamped tobacco products.
The total street value of the items seized was $170,000.
While cannabis and cannabis-related products are legal in Canada, they are regulated, and sellers must be registered with the government. Not only was the business unregulated, police said, so were the products themselves.
“They were unauthorized products being sold by an unlicensed vendor,” Kingston Police Const. Anthony Colangeli said Friday.
Unregulated products present a safety issue, and unlicensed sellers undercut legal dispensaries by avoiding taxes and regulations, police added.
A Kingston resident, 21, was charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling it, and possession for use in production or distribution of illicit cannabis under the Cannabis Act.
The accused was scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
“Kingston Police Special Services will continue working with regulatory agencies to shut down illegal operations, including storefronts, delivery services, and black-market dealers,” police said in a release.
They said anyone with information regarding the illegal sale of cannabis within the City of Kingston should contact D/Sgt Shawn Birney at 613-549-4660 ext. 6323.
sbedford@postmedia.com
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