Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
National

Vancouver magic mushroom stores raided by police are reopening

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Nov, 2023 04:39 PM
  • Vancouver magic mushroom stores raided by police are reopening

One of three magic mushroom stores that were raided by Vancouver police this week has already reopened, and the owner says his other two are restocking and will be back in business on Friday.

The Vancouver Police Department says it executed search warrants at the stores on Wednesday in an investigation into the sale of illegal psychedelic drugs, with officers seizing "a variety of controlled substances."

The stores owned by Dana Larsen are located on East Hastings Street, West Broadway Avenue, and Granville Street.

Larsen says the East Hastings store has already opened, with the other two to follow, and he'll "try to be better prepared" if police visit again.

Larsen says Wednesday's raids were unexpected, and he was held by police for seven hours before being released with no charges and no conditions. 

A storefront poster Larsen shared on social media says police seized all the stores' mushrooms, LSD, coca leaf, other drugs and money. 

He said thousands in cash and drugs worth tens of thousands of dollars were seized.

"People go through a lot worse things, but it's no fun sitting in a jail cell for seven hours. It's no fun that all of your products are taken," he said.

"Our staff are very upset, some of them are quite worried about their future and their job and whether they want to keep working here."

Larsen said his stores have business licenses from the city, with the annual license for the East Hastings outlet renewed three times.  

He said he is now in the process of renewing the license for the West Broadway location and a public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 6. 

"The city councillors have the power to let us keep our license. They can add conditions, or they can take it away," said Larsen. 

Larsen said police should let politicians make a decision about the fate of the psychedelics business before raiding his stores.

The VPD said in a news release Wednesday that police will consider whether to recommend charges to Crown prosecutors once the investigation concludes. 

“We have been clear that anyone who breaks the law by illegally trafficking controlled drugs and substances could be arrested and charged with a criminal offence,” Sergeant Steve Addison said in the release.

“This includes people who traffic drugs for profit from unlicensed and illegal retail businesses.”

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Wind and rainfall warnings for BC

Wind and rainfall warnings for BC
Environment Canada has issued several wind and rainfall warnings as a "potent" fall storm bears down along B-C's coast. The weather office says strong winds with gusts up to 110 kilometres per hour are expected over parts of northern Vancouver Island, the central coast and Haida Gwaii.  

Wind and rainfall warnings for BC

Two B.C. community newspapers publish their last editions this week

Two B.C. community newspapers publish their last editions this week
Two newspapers in British Columbia are publishing their last editions this week, eliminating coverage by community papers for a large swath of the province's northeast. Glacier Media announced it is shutting down both the Dawson Creek Mirror and the Alaska Highway News out of Fort St. John.

Two B.C. community newspapers publish their last editions this week

Urn stolen in North Vancouver

Urn stolen in North Vancouver
Mounties in North Vancouver are asking for the public's help in locating an urn stolen from a car over the weekend. R-C-M-P say they received multiple reports of vehicle break-ins on West 21st Street around 10:30 Saturday morning.  

Urn stolen in North Vancouver

B.C. to bring in law forcing Surrey to go with municipal police force

B.C. to bring in law forcing Surrey to go with municipal police force
British Columbia Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has introduced legislation that will require the City of Surrey to provide policing with a municipal force in the latest jurisdictional salvo over the RCMP and the Surrey Police Service. The update in the Police Act also gives the province the authority to cancel the RCMP contract it has with Surrey, B.C.'s second most populous city behind Vancouver.   

B.C. to bring in law forcing Surrey to go with municipal police force

Fifth Canadian dies in Israel after Hamas attacks

Fifth Canadian dies in Israel after Hamas attacks
Global Affairs Canada has confirmed the death of a fifth Canadian in Israel after a series of attacks by Hamas militants, while Canadians in the besieged Gaza Strip still have no way to get out. Three other Canadians who were in Israel when the attacks happened Oct. 7 are still missing, officials said Sunday. Global Affairs did not provide details of the fifth person who died or those who are missing, citing privacy reasons.  

Fifth Canadian dies in Israel after Hamas attacks

First group of Canadians leave West Bank for Jordan as those in Gaza brace for worst

First group of Canadians leave West Bank for Jordan as those in Gaza brace for worst
Joly made the announcement this morning on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, thanking the Global Affairs staff who she says worked around the clock to make it happen. The federal government says 21 Canadians and foreign nationals took a bus out of the West Bank, a Palestinian territory that Israel has occupied since 1967, and where it has established settlements.

First group of Canadians leave West Bank for Jordan as those in Gaza brace for worst