Security guard with stolen gun arrested in SWAT operation at pot shop
Vista CA March 18 2018
An armed security guard with a stolen handgun and another armed person were among several arrested during police raids at two illegal marijuana dispensaries.
The two men illegally armed with weapons were arrested at two Vista pot dispensaries that were raided by a sheriff’s SWAT team this week and closed, authorities said.
Deputies hit Vista Wellness Center on South Santa Fe Avenue on Thursday, and Vista Patient Care on West Drive Friday.
SWAT deputies were called in because the places had fortified doors and armed security. Deputies also expected that employees would refuse them entry, Sgt. Jason Scroggins said.
Cannabis edibles, about 28 pounds of marijuana plus paraphernalia were seized at Vista Wellness Center, Scroggins said.
A security guard there, a 26-year-old Lemon Grove man, was booked on charges of carrying a stolen, loaded firearm, possession of marijuana for sale and other charges.
Deputies seized about 50 pounds of marijuana as well as other cannabis products at Vista Patient Care, Scroggins said.
An employee there who was also armed, was arrested on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a stun gun and body armor.
Scroggins said the search warrants were the result of numerous complaints from area businesses and violations of various building and fire codes.
Vista does not allow marijuana-related businesses, and has “aggressively pursued” shutting them down, city spokeswoman Andrea McCullough said Friday.
The city has spent upwards of $1 million on the efforts for the last few years.
Through the end of 2017, Vista had shut down 46 dispensaries, and shuttered three grow operations. Vista has also filed dozens of misdemeanor criminal cases related to unauthorized marijuana business operations.
Despite the efforts to target illegal operations, the city has a special City Council meeting next Tuesday to discuss allowing marijuana-related businesses.
The talks of perhaps allowing some marijuana-related businesses started last year after a group with ties to the industry pushed for a ballot initiative. Their proposal calls for at least one dispensary for every 10,000 residents in Vista, which would amount to at least 10 storefronts in the city.
A poll last year found that more than a third of the residents did not know that pot shops were not permitted in town.
