Pubdate: Sat, 26 Jun 2010
Source: Daily Sound (Santa Barbara, CA)
Copyright: 2010 Daily Sound
Contact: http://www.thedailysound.com/contact/Letters-to-the-editor
Website: http://www.thedailysound.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4995
Author: Eric Lindberg
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/Dispensaries

POLICE RAID WESTSIDE DISPENSARY AGAIN

Authorities raided a Westside medical marijuana  dispensary yesterday 
for the second time and  re-arrested its owner, a 32-year-old man who 
had posted  bail and allegedly reopened the shop.

Sgt. Dan McGrew said Juan Carlos Solis was arrested on  suspicion of 
cultivation and possession of marijuana  for sale, the same charges 
he is facing in connection  with a prior raid in February at the 
Healing Center,  1437 San Andres St.

Officers served search warrants at the dispensary and  an apartment 
in the 700 block of W. Carrillo Street  that Solis reportedly shared 
with Rudy Aragon Lopez,  28, an alleged dispensary employee who was 
arrested  yesterday on similar drug-related charges.

Authorities offered few details about what led to  yesterday's raid, 
other than to note that an ongoing  investigation, as well as 
evidence seized at the  dispensary and residence, revealed that Solis 
was illegally operating the pot shop.

Following the previous raid in February, police  officials said the 
dispensary was obtaining its  marijuana illegally and was not 
operating within the  guidelines of the Compassionate Use Act, the 
state law  that regulates medical marijuana use.

Despite the earlier raid, the dispensary apparently  reopened the 
following day, as evidenced by an employee  who answered the phone 
and denied any law enforcement  action had taken place at the 
Westside location.

Solis and another alleged dispensary employee, Sinthia  Alba 
Martinez, 24, were scheduled to appear in court on  July 16 to set a 
date for a preliminary hearing in  connection with the February raid.

City officials have been struggling to quell community  unrest on the 
issue of medical marijuana dispensaries  for years. Earlier this 
week, city leaders introduced a  set of stricter regulations on 
marijuana shops that,  among other restrictions, will allow only 
three dispensaries to operate in Santa Barbara.

While the city has approved permits for several  dispensaries in 
recent years, the Healing Center has  been subject to repeated 
enforcement efforts, City  Attorney Steve Wiley said in a previous 
interview in  February.

"It's not even close to being nonconforming," he said  during the 
interview. "It's always been an illegal  operation -- illegal from a 
zoning standpoint -- and  we've been enforcing on it."

McGrew noted that a superior court judge issued civil  penalties of 
$55,000 earlier this month against Jose  and Patricia Solis, the 
parents of Juan Solis and  owners of the property at 1437 San Andres St.

The city attorney had reportedly requested the fines  after the 
defendants allegedly violated a court order  prohibiting the 
operation of a dispensary on their  property.

"Additionally, Jose and Patricia Solis are facing  arraignment on 
charges of contempt for violating the  court order prohibiting them 
from operating a marijuana  dispensary on their property," McGrew 
said in an email.

Authorities had yet to release any details about  evidence or drugs 
seized yesterday. In February, police  seized 12,000 marijuana 
plants, 45 pounds of processed  marijuana and $8,000 in cash from the 
Healing Center  and another local dispensary, Pacific Coast 
Collective  at 331 N. Milpas St.

While serving the search warrant at the Westside  dispensary 
yesterday, police also detained a  41-year-old woman who entered the 
pot shop. The woman,  identified as Sandra Hall, allegedly provided 
false  information about her identity in an apparent attempt  to 
avoid being arrested on an outstanding warrant.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom