San Diego County says it's nearly stamped out illegal cannabis dispensaries. Why can't LA County?
LOS ANGELES — The van screeched to a halt in a parking lot along a busy Whittier thoroughfare. A half-dozen men in army-green body armor and tactical helmets hopped out with guns drawn. Their target: a former used car dealership converted into an illegal cannabis dispensary called Whittier Super Greens.
"L.A. County Sheriff's Department search warrant, make yourself known," one detective called out. Mexican pop music blasted in the background as they entered the shop and hustled the employees and customers out front. "Come on, buddy, let's see your hands. Come on."
Less than five minutes after the May 10 raid began, five people were sitting on metal folding chairs outside the corrugated metal garage doors. Undercover detectives emerged with big brown bags of cannabis and psilocybin mushroom products.
One employee was arrested and charged for the mushrooms. The deputies let everyone else go with a warning and closed down the store.
It was back open within weeks.
The temporary shuttering of Whittier Super Greens was the latest iteration in a cycle that has frustrated county law enforcement for years.
Despite authorities making
