$8M worth of illicit cannabis seized in 4 raids, including one in Vernon

$8M worth of illicit cannabis seized in 4 raids, including one in Vernon Published 3:36 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2026 B.C.’s Community Safety Unit has seized $8 million worth of unlicensed cannabis products in enforcement actions at four separate locations...

$8M worth of illicit cannabis seized in 4 raids, including one in Vernon Published 3:36 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2026 B.C.’s Community Safety Unit has seized $8 million worth of unlicensed cannabis products in enforcement actions at four separate locations since May, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General announced on Wednesday (July 15). The unit confiscated a “significant” amount of cannabis, including cannabis plants, dried cannabis and cannabis edibles, at warehouses in Richmond, Vancouver and Vernon. The Vancouver Police Department and RCMP from Richmond and Vernon helped carry out the raids.

Operators found to be selling or producing unregulated cannabis products face administrative monetary penalties, details of which are posted online. Past monetary penalties range from about $12,000 to more than $770,000. Since 2018, Community Safety Unit officers have seized more than $43.84 million worth of cannabis products in 123 enforcement actions, and disrupted 1,068 websites through online enforcement work.

The unit is authorized to inspect, seize and destroy cannabis products without a warrant, but its main goal is to achieve voluntary compliance through education.