Authorities Shut Down Unlicensed Cannabis Dispensary in Palms

Subjects sit on the ground with their hands zip-tied following an unlicensed dispensary raid in Palms on Dec. 12, 2019. (Credit: California Bureau of Cannabis Control via Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Dec 12, 2019 / 07:30 PM PST

Updated: Dec 12, 2019 / 08:16 PM PST

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Authorities shut down an unlicensed cannabis dispensary Thursday afternoon in Palms, taking multiple suspects into custody.

Officers with the state Department of Consumer Affairs and Los Angeles Police Department served a search warrant about 1:50 p.m. to Save Greens, 11221 Venice Blvd., according to preliminary information provided by the LAPD and the Bureau of Cannabis Control.

“In California, we have a challenge with the illegal cannabis market, and as we’re trying to stand up the legal industry, we’re also trying to minimize the illegal industry,” said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the Bureau of Cannabis Control. “Part of that is following up on complaints we receive about unlicensed shops, and a pretty large portion of the unlicensed shops happen to be in Southern California.”

The bureau receives hundreds of complaints about unlicensed dispensaries, Traverso said.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.