N.S. RCMP tickets employee after bust at Digby-area cannabis shop

The Nova Scotia RCMP executed a search warrant at an illegal cannabis dispensary in the Digby area.

Digby RCMP says it has seized illegal cannabis products, unstamped tobacco and cash after executing a search warrant at what police call an unlicensed storefront in Conway, N.S.

Officers carried out the search just before noon on Monday at a business along Highway 303, at a shop known as “The Peace & Friendship Trading Post.”

During the raid, officers seized multiple forms of cannabis, including flower cannabis and hashish, along with cash and unstamped tobacco.

One employee was briefly detained during the investigation but later released and issued a ticket under the province’s Cannabis Control Act for operating a cannabis retail shop without authorization.

No charges have been laid at this time, but police say the investigation is ongoing.

CTV News reached out to the Peace & Friendship Trading Post but has yet to hear back. On Monday, the business indicated to customers on its Facebook page that it was closed for the day, but would reopen Tuesday.

The enforcement action comes nearly two weeks after Attorney General and Justice Minister Scott Armstrong issued a directive to police agencies across Nova Scotia to step up enforcement of illegal cannabis dispensaries and to shut them down.

Armstrong said the illegal cannabis market is growing out of control and poses a serious threat to public health and safety.

In a statement to CTV News Atlantic following the raid in Digby, Armstrong said government has a responsibility to protect all Nova Scotians and to maintain safe communities.

“That’s why a directive was issued to all police agencies in Nova Scotia to intensify enforcement operations at illegal dispensaries and report back on progress,” said Armstrong. “How police enforce the law remains a matter for police, who operate independent from Government.”

Police are reminding Nova Scotians that the only legal way to purchase cannabis is through the NSLC, which is currently the only provincially-licensed retailer of cannabis.

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