Five employees were arrested in a Nelson cannabis dispensary over four months ago but charges still have not been approved.
The Nelson Police Department executed a search warrant on March 20 for MMJ Canada’s Vernon Street location, which led to the arrests. All five people were released from custody the same day, and the dispensary has been closed ever since.
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) confirmed to the Star that no charges have been laid but could not comment further.
The PPSC prosecutes federal offenses such as organized crime, drugs and money laundering. West Kootenay firm Thompson, LeRose and Brown is acting as an agent on the MMJ case for the PPSC.
Hugh McSheffrey, a retired prosecutor not associated with the case, said there are a number of possible reasons for the long delay.
“Certainly in a case like that [prosecutors] would not approve a charge without pretty extensive consultation with the Public Prosecution Service,” he said.
“There’s only a delay if the person’s not in custody. The highest priority is given to someone in custody, and with the summer it may be some of the investigators involved were away for a bit and that might delay the police report.”
In April the city suspended MMJ Canada’s business licence, which it said it would consider reinstating if there were no convictions. MMJ was one of six dispensaries allowed to remain active in Nelson in March 2017 until recreational cannabis is legalized on Oct. 17.
A municipal selection system approved in June (pending final adoption by city council) will limit the number of recreational cannabis businesses operating within city limits to five. Those businesses will only be allowed to open once they have passed provincial screening and the city’s scoring matrix.
Related:
Cannabis dispensary has its licence suspended by city
Nelson council approves cannabis business selection system
tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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