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An unsanctioned pot shop raided by police in the summer has reopened in a new trailer just metres away from one that previously housed the business.
The Ontario Provincial Police-led cannabis enforcement team in June began investigating the illegal sale of marijuana at two dispensaries in London and another on Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, operating under the name Spirit River, that weren’t licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the province’s pot regulator, the OPP said.
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The businesses claimed to be Indigenous-run and said cannabis laws, introduced in 2018 when Canada became the second country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana, don’t apply to them.
Police raided the trailer at 72 Wellington St., the storefront at 685 Richmond St. and the Chippewas outlet on Aug. 20, charging five people and seizing cannabis products, contraband tobacco, magic mushrooms and cash, the OPP said.
But the Spirit River location on Wellington Street is back up and running out of a different trailer in the parking lot, just south of downtown, while the Richmond Row store remains closed.
Police are aware of the reopened dispensary, a spokesperson for the cannabis enforcement team said.
“An investigation is currently ongoing, and we are not able to provide a comment at this time,” Angie Sloan said in an email.
The operator of the Wellington Street location wasn’t available for comment Monday, said an employee, who said the shop had been operating for several weeks.
After police raided the stores in London and Chippewas, a sign was placed out the Wellington Street trailer warning that permission from the Superior Court of Justice is required to enter.
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“If you enter this property without judicial authorization you may be charged with break and enter (or other related charges),” the sign taped to the front door states.
A London police spokesperson referred all inquiries about black market pot shops to the cannabis enforcement team.
More than 50 licensed cannabis retails stores have opened in London since April 1, when the city’s first set up shop at 666 Wonderland Rd. after the province granted a limited number of licences through a now-scrapped lottery system. All licensed stores must buy their products through the Ontario Cannabis Store, the government-run wholesaler and delivery service.
dcarruthers@postmedia.com
@DaleatLFPress
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