BC RCMP Federal Policing say they have taken down an organized crime group after raiding two Vancouver Island dispensaries, five residences and arresting six suspects who were believed to be involved in the distribution of illicit drugs, unregulated cannabis, and contraband tobacco.
The take down was executed on Oct. 3 at the Green Coast Dispensary in Port Alberni located on Hupacasath First Nation land and Coastal Storm Dispensary in Lantzville.
Search warrants were also executed at a suspected stash site in Port Alberni, and a storage and production facility adjacent to Coastal Storm Dispensary, according to RCMP. This included two modular trailers where cannabis edibles were being produced, stored, and distributed.
Police say the raid led to the seizure of over 120,000 cannabis edibles with packaging resembling popular chocolate bars, potato chips, nacho chips, honey, and other candies. Authorities also seized over three kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms, 1,740 psilocybin capsules, over 400 psilocybin chocolate/candies and a multitude of other psilocybin products, 2.2 pounds of pressed cannabis resin; Over 500 pounds of cannabis bud, over 19 pounds of shatter and over 5,000 cannabis vape cartridges.
In a CBC Radio interview, Cpl. Arash Seyed, RCMP Media Relations Officer, said the investigation originally started with illegal cigarettes and that they “stumbled upon” the counterfeit cannabis-laced candy when they raided the properties.
RCMP seized five vehicles, two ATM machines containing cash, over 164 Master Cases of contraband tobacco (equating to 82,000 packs of cigarettes), over $400,000 in cash, a shotgun, and other paraphernalia.
With Halloween just around the corner, RCMP Pacific Region Chief Superintendent Stephen Lee urged the public to “practice extreme caution if they already possess, or come across such products in the future.”
“Given the highly contaminated and unsanitary conditions of the illicit drug production facility where these cannabis edibles were being produced, it is possible that the consumption of these products can lead to serious health risks,” said Chief Lee.
Police say that although the contraband cannabis-laced candy bars and chips resembled professionally manufactured, packaged, and quality-controlled products, they were produced in the highly unsanitary, and heavily contaminated modular trailers.
“A preliminary assessment of the edibles also indicates that they had been treated with unknown amounts of THC, and likely cross-contaminated with other drugs and substances present in the trailers where they were being produced and packaged,” stated the RCMP. “Of equal concern were that counterfeit snacks with packaging claims of possessing medicinal properties, and dangerously high drug potency values, with many of the candy wrap labels claiming to be one-hundred times more potent than regulated cannabis products.”
The operation was a collaboration between numerous RCMP Federal Policing units, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit-BC (CFSEU-BC), Criminal Intelligence Service BC (CISBC), Nanaimo and Port Alberni RCMP detachments, and other partner agencies.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and numerous drug-offence-related charges are being pursued.
