Seven arrested in pot shop raids
Ottawa police arrested seven people and seized a loaded handgun in raids that have closed two locally operated medical marijuana dispensaries.
Four family members were caught up when police executed search warrants Tuesday on Magna Terra’s shops on Carling Avenue and in Stittsville and at a private home.
Franco Vigile, Peter J. Vigile and Magna Terra Health Services have each been charged with six counts related to drug trafficking and one count of possession of property proceeds of crime under $5,000, court records show.
Nina Vigile has been charged with six gun-related offences and possession of property proceeds of crime under $5,000.
Franco Vigile is the operator of the two Magna Terra shops.
Police said seven people, including four store employees, have been arrested but did not include names.
Franco’s father, who was also in court, said his home had been raided by police.
HANDGUN CONFISCATED
Police say they confiscated a .44 calibre Desert Eagle handgun and ammunition during the raids. They did not reveal where the handgun was recovered.
Police also confiscated hashish, hash oil, THC concentrate (“shatter”), edibles in various forms, cash, documentary evidence, computers and cellphones.
Police issued another warning that dispensaries are illegal.
“We continue to advise the public that these store front operations are illegal and the laws will be enforced,” said Sgt. Rick Carey of the Ottawa Police Service drug unit.
“Drugs and guns are continually being found in close proximity to each other and anyone thinking illegal drug trafficking from behind a store front counter is safer than on a street corner is fooling themselves.”
Magna Terra is Ottawa’s oldest dispensary, and Vigile prided himself on both the clean, bright decor at the shops and the focus on serving medical marijuana patients.
Unlike some of the dispensaries that have popped up around town, Magna Terra outlets required customers to have a doctor’s prescription or proof they required medical marijuana.
However, the outlets were still operating illegally, a factor Vigile downplayed, calling it a “grey area.”
Medical marijuana can legally be purchased only from growers licensed by Health Canada, who deliver it by mail.
Vigile said he was providing a service to patients because the legal system has limited products — sale of edibles aren’t allowed, for instance — and there may be delays in mail delivery.