LAPD shuts down pot store in Chatsworth; 3 arrested

[bigbrokush]

Police said Monday night that officers have shut down a final medical marijuana dispensary in an area where dozens of pot shops once thrived.

Narcotics officers from the Devonshire Division served a search warrant at Herbal Medicine Care in the 10100 block of South Topanga Boulevard in Chatsworth, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale, the LAPD said, and officers seized 50 pounds of marijuana, 156 marijuana plants and more than $6,000.



Officers also confiscated documentation detailing marijuana transactions.

In late 2008, more than 60 medical marijuana stores were in the Devonshire Division, according to the LAPD.

"They quickly became the center of various crimes," the LAPD said in a statement.

Illegal activity included tax evasion, money laundering, witness intimidation and narcotics possession, according to police.

The stores were shuttered after LAPD investigations, which have led to dozens of arrests and the seizure of dozens of weapons and more than a ton of marijuana.

 

[wdcf]

GAY

 

[megayields]

.............another one bites the dust..............

 

[bigbrokush]

Police Shut Down Last Chatsworth Pot Shop, 3 Arrested

KTLA News

5:39 a.m. PST, January 31, 2012
CHATSWORTH, Calif. (KTLA) -- Police have scored a major victory in the fight against medical marijuana dispensaries.

The LAPD shut down the last remaining medical marijuana dispensary in the northwest San Fernando Valley on Monday.

Narcotics officers served a search warrant at the Herbal Medicine Care facility in the 10100 block of Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Chatsworth.
Police arrested three people on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale.

They have been identified as Gohar Hhazaryan, 34, her husband Hakob Navasaroyan Dob, 35, and Onik Derhovansian Dob, 56.

Police seized more than 50 pounds of marijuana, 156 marijuana plants and over $6,000.

Authorities also confiscated the store's transaction records.

Police say the store was selling to anyone who came in and signed a few papers.

One of the men arrested claimed he was making more than $500,000 per year tax free, because he declared the business a non-profit, detectives said.

The Devonshire Division was once populated by dozens of pot shops -- more than 60 in late 2008.

"We had more of these facilities in the Northwest San Fernando Valley than we had ice cream parlors," L.A. City Councilmember Mitchell Englander said.

"I don't know what kind of message that's sending to families and kids," Mitchell said.

He added, "We've now closed down every single one of these retail stores throughout the northwest valley... We're safer today because of it."

Police say the stores attracted other crimes, like robberies and burglaries. They also became the center of criminal activity including tax evasion, money laundering, witness intimidation and narcotics possession, according to authorities.

The dispensaries were shut down after LAPD investigations, which led to dozens of arrests.

More than a ton of marijuana was seized from the shops by police, along with dozens of weapons.