JURUPA VALLEY - A marijuana dispensary allegedly operating without a license in Jurupa Valley was raided and shut down today by a Riverside County law enforcement task force established to crack down on illegal cannabis activity.
The Cannabis Regulation Task Force conducted its inaugural operation in the 5400 block of Mission Boulevard, targeting a dispensary alternately known as “The Mission” and “35 CAP,” according to the District Attorney's Office, whose investigators are leading the unit.
Agency spokesman John Hall said the team recently learned the business was being advertised online and was being run out of a modular trailer on a dirt lot. A search warrant was obtained and served at the location, where investigators “seized numerous items ... including several pounds of cannabis, THC pods, edibles, paraphernalia, wax and vape cartridges,” Hall said.
About $900 cash was found, and several people were detained on-site. However, no one was arrested, and the investigation is continuing, according to Hall.
The task force will be ramping up activity, seeking to deter unlicensed commercial marijuana transactions, according to the D.A.'s office.
“The aim of the task force is not to shut down legally operating facilities, but rather to ensure fair business practices and keep criminal activity out of the legal cannabis industry and out of our communities,” the agency stated.
The county Planning Commission is reviewing proposed commercial cannabis regulations that are expected to be presented to the Board of Supervisors in the coming weeks.
All stationary and mobile marijuana dispensaries are currently illegal in unincorporated communities. However, multiple cities within the county have ordinances that permit commercial transactions.
The county does permit pot cultivation by patients who are prescribed medical marijuana, and under Proposition 64, individuals who are at least 21 years old may grow up to six plants for personal use in a private dwelling.
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