The Prince of Pot, Marc Emery, and his wife, Jodie, are being held by authorities in Ontario.
‘I just spoke to Marc Emery,’ lawyer Kirk Tousaw wrote on his Facebook page last night. ‘He and Jodie Emery have been arrested in Toronto and are both being held for a bail hearing tomorrow at Old City Hall. It appears they were arrested at the airport and not as part of a raid.’
The Toronto Police Service has issued a news release saying ‘search warrants were executed in Toronto, the Hamilton area and Vancouver as part of Project Gator’.
It’s a Toronto police project targeting marijuana dispensaries. The police website does not mention if any charges have been laid.
The Emerys’ Cannabis Culture company has 19 shops in three provinces.
After the arrests, a Cannabis Culture pot shop at Cambie and West Hastings streets was raided by Vancouver police.
This morning, officers remain on guard outside the business.
Cops guarding entry to @cannabisculture shop/lounge in @CityofVancouver. So sad to see @VancouverPD doing this. pic.twitter.com/HEuw2P3e0q— Dana Larsen (@DanaLarsen) March 9, 2017
‘The Vancouver Police Department is assisting the Toronto Police Service with their search warrants in Vancouver, stemming from a Toronto Police Service investigation,” VPD Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham told News 1130.
Karina Smeds works at Cannabis Culture HQ, says she’s not surprised @MarcScottEmery And @JodieEmery were arrested and Shop is being raided pic.twitter.com/v8fnGzl9Y3— Emily Lazatin (@EmilyLazatin) March 9, 2017
In the past, Marc Emery has written several articles on Straight.com condemning the Trudeau government’s marijuana-legalization initiative, calling it the ‘New Prohibition’.
In these pieces, Emery has levelled some devastating criticisms at former Toronto police chief Bill Blair, even calling him ‘Bill the Narc’. (Click ‘related stories’ on this page.) Blair has been appointed by Trudeau to oversee how cannabis should be regulated.
In the meantime, the former NDP for Vancouver East, Libby Davies, has questioned over Twitter why the Emerys were arrested.
Honestly you’d think Toronto police have better things to do than arrest Marc and Jodi @CannabisCulture @KirkTousaw— Libby Davies (@LibbyDavies) March 9, 2017
