Toronto police shut 11 unlicensed dispensaries after legalization
In the days after recreational cannabis became legal in Canada on 17 October 2018, Toronto police raided unlicensed dispensaries across the city, shutting 11 shops between 19 and 21 October and charging 21 people under the province's new cannabis act. Officers changed the locks and seized cash and products.
Toronto police shut down eleven unlicensed marijuana dispensaries in raids carried out between Friday 19 and Sunday 21 October 2018, days after recreational cannabis became legal in Canada.[1][2]Twenty-one people were charged and released under the province’s new cannabis act.[1]Officers changed the shops’ locks and seized their cash and products.[1]
Post-legalization enforcement
Police shut five shops on Friday afternoon and another six over the weekend.[1]Acting Inspector Steve Watts, who leads the Toronto drug squad, said the force would keep cracking down on unlicensed sellers, adding that stores hoping to go legitimate had been told to close by the 17 October legalization date.[1]The raided locations included a CAFE Cannabis and Fine Edibles shop on Fort York Boulevard, the Allevi8 shop on Church Street and the Bud Station on Eglinton Avenue West.[2]Watts said customers found inside during the raids would not be charged.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
21
Charged
21
Agency
Toronto Police Service
Agency type
Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis
Activity
Sale
Setting
Shop
Case stage
Charged
Operation
19 Oct 2018 – 21 Oct 2018
Sources
Blue Lineblueline.caToronto police have shut down 11 unlicensed pot shops since legalization
Grizzlegrizzle.comPost-Legalization Toronto Police Close Down 6 Marijuana Dispensaries
Open questions the AI reported
No quantities of cannabis, cash or products seized in the raids were published.
The names of the 21 people charged were not published.
Disputed count: an earlier tally put the weekend closures at six shops with 13 charged; this report uses the later police total of eleven shops and 21 charged.
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