The province is asking the courts for permission to seize property and money associated with Squamish鈥檚 first cannabis dispensary.
聽On Jan. 31, the director of civil forfeiture filed a lawsuit in the Victoria courts against Bryan Trevor Raiser, the owner of 99 North Cannabis Dispensary.
聽It also names a numbered corporation, 1113375 B.C. Ltd. Raiser is identified as the sole director, officer and controlling mind of that corporation.
聽鈥�99 North is an illegal cannabis retailer,鈥� the claim reads. 鈥淣either of the defendants have licences to distribute or sell marijuana or cannabis to any person or entity.鈥�
聽The dispensary was shut down in November 2019 after officers from the Community Safety Unit, or CSU, seized product from the store and ordered it to be closed. The CSU is the arm of the province that enforces cannabis regulations. RCMP were also present at the time.
聽This occurred after 99 North was informed twice that its operations were illegal, the claim says.
The director is seeking to obtain $4,296 in cash, which was taken by RCMP during the seizure in November.
聽The director is also trying to claim land and a house residing on Second Avenue owned by Raiser鈥檚 numbered company.
聽According to BC Assessment, the land and the house are collectively valued at $634,000.
聽The notice of claim says that Raiser鈥檚 numbered company became the registered owner of the house and land in October 2017. The dispensary opened in 2015, according to past reports from The Chief.
The land and house being sought by the province are not where 99 North was located. They are also different from Raiser鈥檚 last known 麻豆社国产address identified in the claim.
聽In the claim, the director alleges that the property, the land and the money are 鈥減roceeds and instruments of unlawful activity鈥� and should therefore be claimed by the province.
聽鈥淭he director may apply to the court for an order forfeiting to the government property that is an instrument of unlawful activity,鈥� reads the claim.
聽鈥淏y converting the proceeds of the unlawful activity into the property and money, the property and money were used by the defendants as instruments of unlawful activity, namely the laundering of proceeds of crime,鈥� reads the claim.
聽No statements of response had been filed in court by Raiser by press deadline.
聽When approached for comment, Raiser told The Chief he would be unable to comment.
聽None of the claims have been proven in court.
聽In a separate case, the province has also been trying to seize property associated with another 麻豆社国产dispensary, Grass Roots Medicinal Cannabis. That store was also shut down by authorities the same day officers forced 99 North to close.
聽The province has been alleging that Grass Roots is an 鈥渦nlawful鈥� dispensary.
聽The claims against Grass Roots have not been proven in court.
**Please note, this story has been modified since it was first published to address a privacy concern.聽
