A brand known for selling cannabis and tobacco across southern Ontario has had several stores shut down by police amid allegations they were selling over a million dollars of unauthorized products.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Niagara Regional Police jointly shut down six Indige Smoke locations between Hamilton and Fort Erie in raids last week seizing tobacco and cannabis products.
Three handguns, shotgun ammunition and cocaine were also confiscated during the execution of nine search warrants on June 5.
Det. Insp. Anne Goodwin from the OPP’s Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau says despite the legalization of some cannabis products across the province in 2018, there’s still a lucrative market for criminal networks who’ve been cashing in on the sale of unauthorized products.
“Not only is it against the law to sell or purchase illegal cannabis, but consumers are faced with health risks that come from using untested and unregulated products,” Goodwyn explained. “Profits from illegal cannabis sales are often laundered to finance other criminal activities including illegal drugs, firearms and human trafficking.”
Eleven people now face a combined 34 charges and are scheduled to appear before a judge in St. Catharines on July 18, according to OPP.