Almost a month following a city in Northern Michigan allowing a zoning law to the benefit of nearby medical cannabis businesses, many federal and state law enforcement agencies came down upon two counties to put on some pressure on twelve dispensaries that they claim have been selling people cannabis without checking their medical cannabis cards.
On Thursday, United States Homeland Security group up with the Michigan State Police and many other police departments to come down on a huge raid in the cities of Gaylord and Vanderbilt. According to some reports, the search warrants only came through after a long investigation into the dispensaries and their illicit sale of medical cannabis products that are not allowed under state law.
Besides the arrest of two men from Gaylord, law enforcement agencies have captured more than 143 marijuana plants, 150 jars of marijuana, edible cannabis products, two cars as well as more than $17,000 in cash during the searches. A press release sent by the Straits Area Narcotics Enforcement (SANE) says that the arrests were for crimes that go from the illegal farming and selling go cannabis products to illicit possession of prescription drugs, more specifically painkillers.
According to Lieutenant Ken Mills, the raids came from numerous tips and traffic stops that forced law enforcement agencies to think that these criminal activities were happening. But other reports show that the recent crackdown might have been retaliation against the Gaylord City Council’s recent choice to allow protections for medical cannabis outlets.
In May of 2015, Michigan State Police, as well as their drug enforcement companions, came in to put on raids on eight different outlets working in Gaylord. As a method of revenge, a petition was put out in support of the dispensaries to make it legal to work within the boundaries of the city without having to see any more raids.
