SQ raids 8 unauthorized cannabis stores across Quebec

With one week left before recreational cannabis is legal in Canada, Quebec provincial police raided eight unauthorized dispensaries Wednesday, arresting eight people for illegally possessing and trafficking marijuana and marijuana-derived products.

Three of the dispensarieswere located in the greater Montreal region, three in central Quebec and two in the Mauricie region.While some claimed to be selling medical marijuana, others were advertising it for recreational use, as well.

Thedispensaries are illegal "because they do not comply with the regulations respecting access to cannabis for medical purposes," said theSret du Qubecin a newsrelease.

The SQ said the investigation was conducted by its organized crime division, in collaboration with itssmuggling division and local police departments.

Police havebeen cracking down on unauthorized dispensaries for some time in Quebec as shops regularly open up and advertise their wares online, using social media and websitesto promote products.

The SQ says people who want to obtain medicinal cannabis must continue to do so through one of the 120 authorized producers,andfor recreational usage, Quebecersmust shop at an outlet ofthe soon-to-be-openSocitqubcoisedu cannabis (SQDC).

SQ pledges to fight 'illegal' cannabis

The SQ is vowing to continue "its fight against the illegal production and sale of cannabis," reminding citizens that it recently launched a new task force aimed at snuffing out the "underground cannabis economy."

The new force is calledACCES Cannabis. (ACCES stands for action concerte contre l'conomie souterraine.)

"Police officers will step up their fight against cannabis smuggling at all stages of the supply chain, from illegal production to neighborhood smuggling, all across Quebec," said the police service.

Le 710 targeted by SQ in 4separate raids

Cannabis Qubec, a shop in Nicolet, Que., which made the newslast month when it opened its doors to medicinal and recreational cannabis users,was among those raided Wednesday.

Once inside, officers arrested a 48-year-old man who is expected to face charges related to possession for the purpose of drug trafficking. In all, 1.8 kilograms of dried cannabis wasseized, along with 300 grams of hashish, according to Radio-Canada.

Four of the raided businesses operate under the name Le 710,in Saint-Jrme,Valleyfield,Vaudreuil and Shawinigan.

In Shawinigan, a greenhouse was discovered above the raided shop.

The SQ seized dried cannabis, processed products and cannabis oil along with 30 plants, Radio-Canada reports.

Located on Saint-Marc Avenue, the store's last Facebook posts were in December 2017 one refers toLe 710 Montreal, which operates on Sherbrooke Street in Montreal.

There is another 710 location listed in Laval.

THCity has operations in Montreal

In Trois-Rivires, police raided a shop where a 51-year-old man was arrested after investigators seized cannabis, cannabis oil, synthetic cannabis and hashish.

The logo "THCity" can be seen on thestorefront.

An online search revealed there is a company with the same name and logo that operates two locations in Montreal with shops located on Jarry Street East in Saint-Lonard and on Park Avenue in Plateau-Mont-Royal.

The twoTHCity stores in Montreal link to the same website, claiming to be "cannabis consultants."

However, a spokesperson for THCityInc. says the Trois-Rivireslocation is no longer affiliated with the company.

Josh Shapiro, who manages day-to-day operations for THCityInc, said the Trois-Rivireslocation cut ties with them last winter. He said at that time the store started working with Le 710 and began operating as a dispensary.

"We do not want to be associated with that whatsoever," said Shapiro.

He said that THCityInc. is not a dispensary, and that it instead helps medical cannabis users learn how to make their ownderivatives and connects them with licensed producers.

Shapiro said he was shocked to see that their company logo was still on the Trois-Rivires storefront when he heard news of the raids.

Online searches for the Trois-Rivires location lead to a different website which describes itself as an intermediarybetween prescription-holding patients and "recognized" producers. Itsstorefront advertisingclaims it to be an "ACMPR consultation service," referring to Health Canada'sAccess to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations.

Le 710 Smokes and Vapors is listed as an affiliate on THCity Inc.'s website, as istheQuebec Medical Cannabis Consumer Association (ACCMQ) a co-operative dedicated to helping patients who believe they could benefit from medical cannabis.

Shapiro says the THCityInc. website is out of date and needs to be updated with its current affiliates.

SQ spokespersonHlne St-Pierre told CBCNews that stores operating on the island of Montreal fall under the jurisdiction of Montreal police.

While some stores may claim to be, not all are authorized to sell medicinal cannabis products, she said. The SQ focused its efforts on stores that are not actually licensed to sell cannabis and fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial police.