UPDATE: Citrus Heights Police Raid Suspected Illegal Marijuana Operation

February 2, 2012 4:00 PM

Reporting Nick Janes

CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) — Citrus Heights police raided a residence on Thursday allegedly being used as a medical marijuana dispensary for profit and arrested two people suspected of running the operation.

pot suspects UPDATE: Citrus Heights Police Raid Suspected Illegal Marijuana Operation

Richard Garland, left, and Steffany Villas

Police say the arrests were the results of an extensive investigation into Great Care Cooperative in the 8000 block of Sunrise Boulevard. A city moratorium bans any medical marijuana dispensaries in Citrus Heights, but this one was allegedly operating without a business license out of the duplex.

Police also served search warrants at private residences in Roseville and Granite Bay on Thursday morning and arrested Steffany Vilas, 27, and Richard Garland, 55.

The small signs on the gate out front of the Citrus Heights residence — “GCC Patient Parking Only” — offer the first clue as to what police say was going on, and it’s what next-door neighbors suspected for quite some time.

“You could smell it coming in our unit,” Shannon Kingsbury told CBS13. “I’d come home from school and it would smell like someone was smoking weed in our house.”

Aside from the smell, there was the traffic going into and out of the location constantly, another neighbor said.

“All day long you hear that gate open and shut, open and shut,” James Caruthers said. “I kept on talking to my landlord about it, and he said it was legit. Obviously, it wasn’t.”

Detectives and the SWAT team served a search warrant at the property at about 7 in the morning, busting what they’re calling an illegal pot dispensary.

In the wake of the federal crackdown on medical marijuana, Citrus Heights put a mortorium in place banning dispensaries. Police say this one kept operating anyway.

“In addition to this location operating without a business license, basically they’re taking advantage of people who actually have a medical need, dispensing marijuana for profit,” Citrus Heights Police Officer Chad Morris said.

CBS13 found a phone number for Great Care Coopartive at the Sunrise address, but couldn’t get through to a live person.

Similarly, police say nobody was at the residence Thursday morning, but investigators pulled out a lot of evidence, including marijuana buds and cash.

The recorded message for Great Care collective says the hours are 9 in the morning until 10 at night, seven days a week, and indeed police say potential customers were showing up Thursday morning.

mike P

Wow….how proud Citrus Heights PD should be! Way to go crime fighter ! I feel so much safer now. Must be the new fiscal year for determining what departments get the federal funds for the failed “war on drugs”. You guys rock, keep wasting everyone’s time, much appreciated.
Elliott the Cat

I think smoking is a waste of time, But A BIGGER WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY IS ARRESTING OR SHUTTING DOWN THESE POT SHOPS !

GO PATROL A SCHOOL OR SHAKE THE HANDS OF SOMEONE PAYING YOUR WAGES.

I DON’T KNOW YOU COPER AND I GUESS I’M GLAD WE NEVER MET !
http://ransackedmedia.com/2012/02/02/fyi-running-a-for-profit-marijuana-dispensary-out-of-your-house-is-illegal/ FYI: Running a for-profit marijuana dispensary out of your house is illegal | ranSACkedmedia

[...] family who shared the same roof in the adjacent unit of the duplex told CBS 13 that the smell of marijuana would come through the shared walls of the structure. The gate which [...]
who the hel1 cares

Well it looks like it is back to the ugly underbelly of society for me just to get medicine. Drug Dealers and Gangs get ready to accept my money. You are the only ones who want it apparently. YAY for the WAR ON INNOCENT NON VIOLENT PEOPLE! I am glad we are broke and they would like to spend money rather than earning money through tax payer dollars.
joe

really!
Jack

Does anyone speak english? What happenned to proof-readers?

mortorium

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Jack

Hire more foreigners?

coopartive

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Anthony

I love it when Cannabis clubs close and crime sky rockets, thanks CHPD I feel a whole lot safer now. After all nothing says safety like getting my medicine off the streets instead of god forbid a store. It must suck to grow up wanting to be a cop and then getting a job like this that busts something that no one is hurting from. “Oh no it smelt like weed through the windows. and the gate would open and close all day.” Is that your biggest problem hearing a little gate open and close? How about the traffic all up and down Sunrise ave all day should drown out the noise from the gate. These neighbors are just being prejudice. I really hope at the time of my writing this that these two victims have been released from their unfair imprisonment. This place was not banking profit like the Officer told you in the video. I”ve been in this place and their prices were always appropriate. They NEVER had a tip jar. NEVER! They were a true non-profit, it’s very sad to see this all happening to people who play fair and by the rules. Thanks again CHPD cause nothing is more harmful than a place were people go to congregate and get their medicine and be on their way with the rest of the day. You aren’t stopping anyone from smoking weed, You’re just making it more difficult and risky for people to obtain it. I wonder where all that bud and money went? I bet some of those cops pocketed at least a cool $20. Citrus Heights Police Department should be embarrassed of themselves for not upholding state law and bending over to federal law. If the local police aren’t going to uphold the local laws…who will? It’s time for us to fight back by voice or force whichever is necessary, power to the people.
WisenCynical

We need better dispensary owners. These guys could have found a better place to do it. It isn’t illegal. They are making a ton of money, why can’t they find a legal location? Get a good location, dress in smocks, and stop hiring tweaker teenagers!
Dave Mowers

So you agree with people violating State and Federal law, F.D.A. Regulations, City Council Ordinances, County ordinances, State Sales Tax requirements, Federal income tax requirements, U.S.D.A. regulations, environmental law and dealing drugs to children?

Stand up Citizen You Are!
Anthony

I’ll give you the credit that a lot of places do hire people who are not up to standard, however, this location specifically had qualified employees, who weren’t “tweakers”. The thing about getting a good location is they are constantly moving around what is an appropriate location for a cannabis dispensary, right now it’s looking like it will be only acceptable in the city and in the industrial districts.
Jessica

Thank you Anthony (someone who actually knows what he is talking about) For those of you who pretend to know…. try looking at the resent RAND study results surrounding the close of collectives and it’s effect on the crime rate:
http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/RAND_Study.pdf