By Spencer Sterritt

RCMP says Nanaimo pot dispensaries ‘on notice’ after recent raid

Mar 13, 2017 | 11:02 AM

NANAIMO — After another pot shop raid, Nanaimo RCMP say all dispensaries in the city are on notice.

On Thursday, March 9, police raided Nature’s Source Dispensary in the 600 block of Fifth St. RCMP Cst. Gary O’Brien said two were arrested with 15 lbs. of marijuana and $2,000 in cash seized.

O’Brien said the raid was triggered by numerous concerns.

“In this particular case, this storefront was located about 500 metres from a local elementary school (Georgia Avenue Elementary). It was also generating a significant amount of foot and vehicle traffic. Nearby residents were also complaining to us and they were saying it was disrupting their enjoyment of their neighbourhood.”

This was the second raid of a Nanaimo dispensary in less than a month.

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O’Brien said police action at this rate can be expected since they’ve got a stronger handle on the fentanyl and carfentanil situation in Nanaimo.

“It’s still a significant issue in our community but we recognize that we’ve identified the lines of who is distributing it. At this time we can safely commit some resources and time and energy to deal with the store front issue,” he said.

The two employees arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking will appear in Nanaimo Provincial Court on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

spencer.sterritt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit