Winnipeg police display some items seized from the Dr. Kush Company in Sargent Park at a media briefing on Friday, April 17, 2020. (WPS / FACEBOOK)
A screenshot of the Dr. Kush website. Winnipeg police raided the illegal cannabis operation on Wednesday. (THEDRKUSHCOMPANY.COM)
Winnipeg police have shut down an illegal cannabis dispensary and delivery service in the city.
Known as the Dr. Kush Company, the online service operated out of a warehouse in the Sargent Park neighbourhood and utilized delivery drivers for its product.
Police say they confirmed with Health Canada and the Manitoba Liquor and Gaming and Cannabis Authority that the operation was not licenced.
According to police, the drivers used insulated bags labelled from commonly known restaurant delivery services to conceal their deliveries.
Police raided the business on Wednesday, seizing:
- $192,350 in prepacked cannabis
- $15,760 in vaping oil
- $14,400 in prepackaged shatter
- $8,000 in computers and tablets used to facilitate online orders and deliveries
- 10,000 units of custom packaging material
A 43-year-old Winnipeg man faces charges under the Cannabis Act, as well as possession of proceeds from crime.
Two suspects remain outstanding as part of the investigation.
A message on the company’s website, which was still active as of Friday afternoon, said, “The Dr. Kush Company is a registered business operating as a courier service for cannabis products in the province of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We were established in 2014 by a co-op of ACMPR license holders in anticipation for recreational cannabis legalization. We source all our products from qualified legal growers throughout the provinces.”
The company also claimed to have plans for a future retail location.
Police continue to investigate.
