At noon on 26 May 2016 the Toronto Police Service executed 43 search warrants at storefront cannabis distributors across the city in an operation it called Project Claudia.[1] Ninety people were arrested, with 186 possession-for-the-purpose-of-trafficking charges and 71 proceeds-of-crime charges laid.[1] Police said they seized 270 kg of dried cannabis, 30 kg of resin, 25 kg of hashish, 27 kg of pills, 73 kg of chocolate, 142 kg of cookies, 129 kg of candies, 101 kg of bars, 127 kg of oils and spreads and 121 kg of other by-products, plus 135 e-cigarettes and 457 drinks.[1] Just under $160,000 in cash was displayed at the force’s news conference, and officers said 23 grams of powdered cocaine were also found at one location.[2]
Police Chief Mark Saunders said the raids followed public complaints about the spread of unlawful storefronts and raised “genuine” health concerns over quality control, saying buyers could not know the THC content or safety of what they bought.[2] Most Toronto storefront dispensaries operated without a Health Canada licence, which required patients to buy only from federally licensed producers.[2] Property owners faced fines of $25,000 to $50,000, and those charged were due in court on 19 June.[2]
Cannabis advocates protested outside police headquarters, with activist Marc Emery calling the crackdown unfathomable for a safe substance the public was plainly demanding.[2] Saunders said he had not been politically pressured and did not want to impede medical-marijuana patients who used the legal channel.[2]
