Update: Coastal Cannapy was raided a second time on Saturday, November 25. Police say three men were arrested at the scene without incident. They’re facing one count each of possession for the purpose of trafficking marijuana and hash.
Members of the Special Enforcement Section of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division raided two different Halifax cannabis dispensaries on Friday morning.
In the first series of raids, officers with the SES along with RCMP and Halifax Regional Police executed four separate search warrants related to the Green Light dispensary on Barrington Street.
Cannabis products, plants and resin were seized from the business’ storefront, and a 22-year-old woman was arrested at the scene without incident. Cash and documents were also seized at an apartment on Fenwick Street, where 35-year-old Jesse Gerald Carroll was arrested without incident.
Carroll is listed by the Registry of Joint Stocks as Green Light’s director and president.
Police also seized documents from an apartment at King’s Wharf in Dartmouth, and a quantity of cocaine, MDMA, LSD and cannabis products from a residence on Rockcliffe Drive in Lakeside.
Carroll’s civic address is listed at King’s Wharf. He’s facing one count each of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, MDMA and LSD, and multiple counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking cannabis products. The 22-year-old Halifax woman is facing two charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Meanwhile, Coastal Cannapy on Agricola Street was also targeted this morning. In response to public complaints and following an investigation, HRP officers raided the business and seized “a quantity” of marijuana, edible cannabis products, hash and money.
Two men were arrested at the scene without incident. The 39-year-old and 35-year-old are facing one count each of possession for the purpose of trafficking marijuana and hash.
On its Instagram this evening, Coastal Cannapy announced it was already open again for business and asked its customers to contact their MLAs and police to complain about the “terrible use of resources.”
“They are wasting their time and money raiding us,” reads the post. “We’ve done no harm to anyone, and we’ve helped so many! Legalization is just around the corner, but they still want to criminalize us for doing what they will be doing them selves [sic] in a matter of months. This is uncalled for and cannot be accepted!”
While the prohibition on cannabis will end next year, it’s still illegal to sell the controlled substance without a medical license. Halifax police officials have previously said dispensaries remain a low-priority for the department, and will only conduct a raid if a complaint is made first.
Just last week, federal Crown prosecutors dropped all charges against cannabis centre owner Christopher Enns stemming from three police raids on his operation that happened between 2013 and 2015.
Despite being charged with several counts of possessing a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking, prosecutors chose not to pursue the matter in court.
“This is a clear indication from the Crown that they believe there is merit to what we are doing, and there is a lack of merit to the charges before the court,” Enns said at the time.
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This article appears in Nov 23-29, 2017.
Dear HRPD,
Speaking from both sides of your mouths only makes you even MORE untrustworthy.
Take guidance from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and stop wasting money on petty crimes. I can’t wait to see the streets of Halifax hit with meth; you will fail there too.
You are the saddest bunch of assholes I have ever seen.
Love,
Priapus
XOXO
Lol, we can’t “afford” body cameras, but we can afford the resources, overtime and court costs to investigate marijuana dispensaries for selling, you guessed it, marijuana, just to have it thrown out of court. Bravo, the dinosaurs are taking one last crack at the pinata before it’s pulled out of reach. On the bright side, it’s gonna be put in the super secure, evidence locker. Lol, what a fucking joke this police force is…street checks, busting medical dispensaries, lost evidence, can’t afford cameras etc…
Hope you enjoy the dab tent at the HRPD Christmas party!!!
Such a waste of police resources.
As a customer and neighbour to one of these dispensaries a lot of people don’t get what the actual issue is.
Police are not raiding, most of these, dispensaries because of weed. They do it in response to complaints from the public. Coastal Cannapy is/was just in the wrong location. That area went from being relatively quiet to having countless foot/car traffic from 9am-11pm. A small amount of customers would smoke weed, drink, loiter, park wherever they please, harass neighbours, leave car music blaring etc. Like stuff that is a no-brainer to most of us, stuff you just don’t do. Those are the people that got the place closed down. The neighbourhood was fine with that place for over a year, then this summer it became wayyyyy too much.
What it all comes down to is location. A liquor store cannot open wherever it please. And because there is no legislation yet these dispensaries can open wherever, without any public consultation. So yeah, I’m sad it’s gone because it was so conveiant, but not sad because us, the neighbours, do not have to put up with the craziness.