Several arrests have been made after London police raided five marijuana dispensaries on Thursday.
Over the lunch hour, officers descended upon Tasty Budd's on Wharncliffe Rd., the Chronic Hub Social Club on Dundas St., Healing Health Compassion on Wonderland Rd. S, Herbal Alternatives on Hamilton Rd., and Healing Health Compassion on Dundas St.
"All of these places are illegally supplying marijuana to individuals on the streets. For the most part, some of these things could be potentially very dangerous to individuals and they are not safe for human consumption," said Constable Sandasha Bough.
Police say they began investigating the five marijuana dispensaries two weeks ago after receiving complaints from the community. They stated in a news release that the search warrants were in relation to "possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking."
"At each location officers are arresting individuals who are working at these premises. They are executing their search warrants so they will be seizing multiple items in relation to these offences," said Bough.
At this point, it is unclear how many people were arrested during Thursday's raids.
"I can't tell you potential numbers with regards to how many have been arrested, but I can tell you that multiple individuals have been arrested. They have been transported to cells. Charges are currently pending," said Bough.
London bylaw officers and the Middlesex-London Health Unit are also assisting police with the investigation.
This is the second time since opening in August 2016 that Tasty Budd's has been the target of a police investigation. Police first swooped down on the facility six days after its opening. Two men were arrested and the store's inventory was seized but the shop reopened just a few days later. It has been operating as a "compassion club" ever since.
Bough called it "purely coincidental" that the raids took place two days after Liberal MP and former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair visited the city to meet with Chief John Pare and Mayor Matt Brown. Blair has been heading the government's examination of the possible legalization of pot.
Many of the pot shops opened after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalize marijuana. Legislation to legalize the drug is expected to be unveiled in the spring.
