State authorities raid San Rafael cannabis retailer, alleging illegal sales

In a shot over the bow to the illicit cannabis market, California authorities seized evidence on a search warrant issued Tuesday to a San Rafael dispensary.

Hemp Bros on the corner of Fourth Street and Lincoln Avenue has operated without a proper state license and local permissions, according to the California Department of Cannabis Control.

The value of the merchandise seized amounted to $48,972 in cannabis flower; $14,864 in vaping cartridges; and $68,105 in edibles. The next steps through an investigation will be determined in the coming days, the agency said.

No arrests were made. But an employee of the store was detained for questioning, said agency Cmdr. Kevin McInerney, who serves on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force.

McInerney said undercover officers bought merchandise illegally from the dispensary a few weeks ago. They were tipped off by the city of San Rafael that Hemp Bros was operating illegally.

San Rafael bans cannabis retail businesses in storefronts. This was the first operation in the Marin County city.

The case will head to the Marin County District Attorney’s office.

With the legal industry complaining that the illicit market is killing their business, the state has cracked down recently on illegal operations.

The task force seized over $53 million in illegal cannabis in the first quarter of this year. Here’s what that includes:

— 31,866 pounds of unlicensed cannabis seized

— 54,137 unlicensed cannabis plants destroyed

— $34,858 in cash seized

— 11 firearms seized

— Four arrests

Operations were conducted Alameda, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Joaquin and Orange counties in the first quarter.

This story was updated to reflect a seizure values.