A 23-year-old Victoria man is facing drug charges in connection with a police raid at a downtown pot shop two months ago.
On Jan. 25, officers searched the Remedy Medicinals Dispensary on Fisgard Street and seized more than 300 exhibits, including more than 42 kilograms of marijuana, $5,600 in cash, bear spray and a replica firearm.
Police continue to investigate, but officers confirmed through Health Canada the unlicensed dispensary was not licensed to sell marijuana.
The department maintains it will continue to be responsive to the public interest by prioritizing any enforcement action based on factors such as evidence of sales to or consumption by youth, violence, serious disruption to the community and any evidence of organized crime.
Omar Manji is facing two charges of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
The city recently announced it will be cracking down on marijuana dispensaries that have yet to apply for a business license or rezoning in order to continue operating in Victoria. Regulations for marijuana dispensaries took effect in November and require the businesses to obtain a license and pass a rezoning process to operate legally.
As of March 17, 33 cannabis retailers had yet to apply for a business license and 23 had applied for rezoning. Sixteen had yet to apply for anything.
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