Police in Kern County, California, have shut down seven unlicensed pharmacies

Seven unlicensed pharmacies in Rosamond, California, were shut down by Kern County sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday, the Sierra Sun Times reports. The dispensaries were stocked with high-quality marijuana, offered loyalty programs, and offered raffles and other promotional items. They appear to be indistinguishable from legal dispensaries in surrounding communities that allow retail stores.

While home cultivation is permitted in Kern County, dispensaries are not allowed to open in most cities and towns. The latest incident reflects the ongoing struggle to curb illegal businesses that ignore the county’s tough stance on cannabis.

“Kern County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on September 6, 2023, at approximately 7:45 p.m., the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (KC-HIDTA), along with county investigators Kern County.” “The District Attorney’s Office has executed search warrants at seven illegal marijuana dispensaries in Rosamond Parish,” the agency wrote on Facebook.

The post continued: “California Department of Fish and Wildlife/Cannabis Enforcement Program (CEP) supervisors, California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) detectives, and Kern County Probation Department officers also assisted in executing the search warrants and.” Arrests of numerous individuals who were found to be involved in the operation of illegal marijuana dispensaries.”

There are some great bargains in the photos, like two grams for $15 or four grams for $30. Cheap shake bags can also be seen in the photos.

As is usual with Facebook posts about cannabis rats, it wasn’t exactly well received by the public. “Lame waste of county resources,” one commenter said. Another wrote, “No license so Bakersfield doesn’t get its share, that’s why they got arrested.” The post also included seven photos of the inside of the pharmacies, as well as a gun found on one of the suspects.

Officials list busted pharmacies and suspects

As a result of the investigation, all seven pharmacies were found to be in violation of county and state health and safety regulations. Investigators from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) assisted investigators from the Sheriff’s Office throughout the operation. The following pharmacies were found to be in violation of the illegal sale of cannabis and cannabis products:

• Lights Out Wellness at 1739 Poplar Street
• Wicked Weed at 2763 Sierra Hwy
• The location at 2613 Diamond Street
• Mr. 5 Gramz at 2665 Diamond Street
• AV Wellness at 2689 Sierra Hwy
• Plum Tree Collective at 2873 Sierra Hwy
• CBD Plus on 2753 Diamond

Sheriff’s deputies found numerous building code violations at all seven locations. As a result of the violations, the establishments were deemed unfit for habitation and reported by Kern County Code Compliance.

Officials listed the suspects who were arrested on various charges for alleged law violations and booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the Central Receiving Facility or the Mojave Jail. Police listed 17 people, along with their ages and the specific charges they received during the wave of raids. At least two of these individuals had outstanding arrest warrants.

Kern County’s ongoing buzzkill

Not all communities in California accept cannabis, especially inland communities. Cannabis retail stores are not legal in most areas of Kern County, California, explains Cannabis Information. According to the Cannabis Regulation, Section 19.08. 55, local law specifically prohibits commercial medical and adult-use cannabis businesses in the county – with the exception of California City and Arvin.

Neighbors in the area generally don’t like cannabis entering their communities. In 2018, 52.38% of Kern County residents voted against Prop. 64, a law legalizing adult-use cannabis in California. The county routinely cracks down on illegal cannabis activity, as well as hot hemp and other illegal activities.

A few years ago, Kern County officials found 10 million cannabis plants deemed too pungent to be hemp, with an estimated value of over $1 billion. On October 25, 2019, police forces marched on the fields. The growers claimed to be growing non-psychoactive hemp. In fact, they grew marijuana plants with THC levels above 0.3%, which is allowed under California law.

After a tip was sent to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office in 2019, police found hot hemp in 11 fields spanning 459 acres in the small town of Arvin. Working with the FBI and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, an investigation was launched that led to the October 25 search warrants.

“Preliminary testing indicated that THC levels in these fields were well above the legal limit for industrial hemp production and were in fact cannabis,” the Kern County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post. “The investigation is ongoing.”

California law allows THC levels above 0.3% if the hemp is grown for research purposes.