SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan and San Diego County Acting Sheriff Kelly Martinez announced Thursday that joint enforcement efforts help shut down illegal marijuana dispensaries in East County, where a bulk of the illegal dispensaries were concentrated.
In 2019, the DA and sheriff coordinated a new, multi-agency effort spanning the entire county that includes the San Diego Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and San Diego County Code Compliance Division and Sheriff and DA.
“Shutting down unregulated illegal marijuana dispensaries required a new level of innovation and collaboration rather than playing a game of ‘whack a mole’ with dispensaries being shut down one day but popping up elsewhere a few days later,” said DA Stephan. “Instead of working mostly in silos, we took a new approach since 2019 that leveraged expertise from a variety of law enforcement, prosecution and code compliance agencies. Now, we are delivering proven success and making sure all neighborhoods, rich and poor, are safe from the criminal industry of illegal dispensaries and associated crime.”
In 2019, there were as many as 30 dispensaries illegally operating at any given time in the East County and DA's office said "it’s hard to find even one in operation." Chula Vista previously had a number of illegal dispensaries that were eliminated in 2020 using a similar approach.
"This is a win-win for communities plagued by these unregulated shops and businesses that allow youth access and fosters a wild west atmosphere where armed robberies, extortion, and homicides have occurred," Martinez said.
In 2020, Martinez created a Marijuana Enforcement Team to support and supplement the regional coordinated effort and pursue enforcement when new shops open.