Illegal cannabis shop busted for third time

Police seize $1 million of products during raid on Aamjiwnaang First Nation outlet

More than $1 million in cannabis was seized in a recent drug bust at a business in Aamjiwnaang First Nation territory, Sarnia police say.

The Dec. 8 bust — made by the OPP joint force cannabis enforcement team, with assistance from Sarnia police — is the third in two years at Pot of Gold Medicinals and Edibles, after charges were laid twice in 2018.

Six people face charges following the 9 a.m. warrant earlier this month at 1836 St. Clair Pkwy., and a simultaneous warrant at a residence in the 600 block of Secreteriate Drive in Corunna, police said,

Two men, aged 35 and 45, were arrested at the business, police said.

A 42-year-old female, and three males, 38, 32, and 64 years old, were arrested at the residence.

All are charged with illegally possessing cannabis for the purpose of selling under the Cannabis Act.

The $1,043,1110 in cannabis seized from the business included bud, oils and edibles, police said. Nearly $5,800 in cannabis products were seized from the residence.

Police seized $24,835 in Canadian currency, and $178 in U.S. currency from both locations, police said.

Four people affiliated with the business were convicted of similar offences last month in Sarnia court, stemming from a Dec. 20, 2018 raid in which police seized more than $121,000 worth of cannabis, edibles and cash.

Sarnia Const. Giovanni Sottosanti said he couldn't confirm if any of the same people were arrested Dec. 8.

The business has been in operation for several years, he said. “The unfortunate thing is obviously they're not following the Cannabis Act to the letter of the law.”

Charges stem from operating without a licence, and products not being “supplied through the proper chain,” Sottosanti said.

In a separate investigation, police also seized more than $300,000 in cannabis and cannabis edibles, along with $2,225 in currency Dec. 9, and have charged a 23-year-old male driver under the Cannabis Act following an investigation by the OPP enforcement team into BC Budz on Wheels, police said.

The arrest took place at about 11 a.m. after the suspect left a residence in the 200 block of Queen Street in Sarnia, which police also searched, police said.

A 36-year-old male suspect is also being sought on similar charges in relation to the investigation, police said.

Enforcement is not just about ensuring people follow the law, but about protecting the public from unregulated product, Sottosanti said.

“Especially when you start getting into the edibles and other things, they're not necessarily controlling the amount of THC that's going into a product,” he said.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario lists 13 applications for cannabis retail stores in Sarnia as “in progress.”

None have yet been authorized to open.