Police Close 3 Business and Confiscate $230,000 In Weed – “Government” Wasn’t Getting A Cut

(NIAGARA REGION, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (PJFCET) seized illicit cannabis and contraband tobacco products with a potential street value of more than $230,000, resulting in the closure of three illegal storefronts in the Niagara Region.

On March 7, 2024, PJFCET executed three search warrants in the City of Thorold, the City of Welland and the Town of Fort Erie, on storefronts that were not authorized by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (ACGO) to sell cannabis or cannabis products.

As a result of the search warrants, police seized approximately:

• 91.5 kilograms of dried cannabis
• 695 pre-rolled cannabis cigarettes
• 720 grams of cannabis extract
• 2,065 packages of cannabis edibles
• 915 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vape pens
• two kilograms of hashish
• 173,800 tobacco cigarettes
• 420 tobacco cigars
• cell phones, computers and other electronics
• $4,700 in Canadian currency

Three people have been arrested and charged contrary to the CC, and the Cannabis Act (CA).

Nikola GARALEJIC, age 26, of Niagara Falls, has been charged with:

• Possession of property obtained by crime, section 354(1)(a) CC
• Trafficking contraband tobacco, section 121.1 CC
• Possess cannabis for the purpose of selling, section 10(2) CA

Anoop RARICHAN, age 28, of Thorold, has been charged with:

• Possession of property obtained by crime, section 354(1)(a) CC
• Trafficking contraband tobacco, section 121.1 CC
• Possess cannabis for the purpose of selling, section 10(2) CA

David SAULT, age 38, of Burford, has been charged with:

• Possession of property obtained by crime, section 354(1)(a) CC
• Possess cannabis for the purpose of selling, section 10(2) CA

The accused have been released from custody and are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in April 2024.

The investigation, which remains ongoing, was supported by the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) and the Contraband Tobacco Enforcement Team (CTET).

Anyone with information regarding the illegal sale of cannabis should immediately contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 and ask to provide information to the PJFCET. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

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