New enforcement actions against illegal cannabis operations in Los Angeles

California authorities continue to ramp up enforcement against the cannabis black market, emphasizing the fact that operating illegally is not worth the risk.

The California Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) and the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Division of Investigation-Cannabis Enforcement Unit (DOI-CEU) sent out a press release today announcing enforcement action against two unlicensed cannabis businesses operating illegally out of locations in Los Angeles.

110 Medical and Enrique's Connection at 7111-3 S. Broadway in Los Angeles. The illegal cannabis businesses have been subject to enforcement action.

“On Wednesday, April 24, 2019, DOI-CEU, with the assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), served search warrants on ‘110 Medical’ and ‘Enrique’s Connection’ – adjacent unlicensed cannabis retailers located at 7111 South Broadway and 7113 South Broadway, respectively,” the emailed press release said.

“All commercial cannabis activity in California requires a state-issued license from one of the state’s three cannabis licensing authorities. Selling cannabis goods without a state license is a violation of state law,” it continued.

Licensed retailers are required to display their licenses in their location. To check and see if a cannabis retail location is licensed before you report a suspected black market cannabis operation, you can visit www.CApotcheck.com.

To file a complaint against illegal activity, visit Enforcement Online Services.

It’s important for consumers to remember that black market cannabis bypasses testing and regulation and may contain chemicals that are harmful to health. Illegal storefronts like the ones closed this week may be run by cartels or large-scale criminal operations – such organizations have the capital available to take the financial hit of closure and simply start another illegal operation somewhere else.

This week’s enforcement actions in Southern California follow the closure of an illegal cultivation operation in the city of Riverside over the 4/20 weekend. Authorities removed 40,000 illegal cannabis locations from the property from the site, a former plant nursery, and estimated the cannabis would be worth $20 million on the black market.