Costa Mesa police chief serves notice to medical pot dispensaries

A police raid against a Costa Mesa marijuana dispensary operating illegally in the city is a sign of things to come, police chief Chris Shawkey said Friday.

“This should be a message to them that that our intent is to take whatever appropriate action we can to close them down,” he said.

In a low-key raid Thursday afternoon, Costa Mesa police served a search warrant to a local dispensary and arrested four people on marijuana-related charges, officials said in a news release.

The dispensary was one of several operating in Costa Mesa. The city has an ordinance against such businesses, but a Jan. 24 Daily Pilot article revealed that several are operating in the city with business licenses for alternative health or nutritional services.

Police have known about the illegal operations but were forming an “enforcement strategy,” Shawkey said. Department officials have been consulting with the Orange County district attorney’s office and the city attorney on how to crack down on the illegal operations, be it civilly or criminally, the chief said.

Thursday’s raid was one of many to come, Shawkey said. Residents and local businesses were complaining about the smell of marijuana and heavy customer traffic, he added.

“This is a priority within the police department and we’re well aware of the other ones and we’re using any means we can to put them out of business,” he said.