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Sunday, June 26th, 2011 11:42 am | by cadfy
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Published June 26, 2011
Law enforcement officials raided a medical marijuana dispensary in Beaumont on Tuesday, serving search warrants at its nondescript location on 6th Street and four other locations, and arresting five people, including its owner.
Members of the Allied Riverside Cities Narcotic Enforcement Team (ARCNET) concluded a seven-month long criminal investigation of Oak Tree Alternative Care. The business had been operating there under the guise of a medicinal marijuana collective since it leased the location, in the 200 block of E. 6th Street, in 2008.
Brian Link, ARCNET Task Force Commander, said officers determined that the business was operating outside the scope of California Senate Bill 420 (known as the Medical Marijuana Program Act) and Proposition 215 (The Compassionate Use Act of 1996). As a result of the criminal investigation, a search warrant was secured for five locations associated with the business, which included residences for the owner and managers of the Oak Tree Alternative business.
Oak Tree Alternative Care had been paying daily fines of $1,000 for violating city codes since August 2009, and had paid the City of Beaumont about $600,000, according to Beaumont Police Chief Frank Coe. Now that the entity has been shut down as an alleged criminal enterprise, it will no longer pay those fines, he said.
ARCNET’s members, including Beaumont Police Department, San Gorgonio Special Operations Gang Task Force, West County Narcotic Task Force and the Coachella Valley Gang Task Force served search warrants at the site of Oak Tree Alternative Care, 257 E. 6th St. in Beaumont; as well as at locations including 39000 block of Grand Avenue in Cherry Valley; 1000 block of Massachusetts Avenue in Beaumont; 3300 block of Old Trail Drive in Yucaipa; and 33000 block of Yucaipa Boulevard, also in Yucaipa.
Arrested as part of the investigation were Oak Tree Alternative Care owner, Art Moreno, 39, of Yucaipa; Nicole Ward, 19, of Beaumont; Jae Hoon John Sihn, 24, of Cherry Valley; Sara Lynn Mudd, 21, of Yucaipa; and Arlene Roseanna Soto, 21, of Beaumont.
Agents also seized processed marijuana, hashish, business documents, and indicia of the illegal sales and use of marijuana, they said. Two of the residential locations had illegal marijuana growing inside of them, agents said. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and possessing marijuana for sales. All were booked into Larry Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
In a separate matter involving the same dispensary, the Beaumont City Council voted Tuesday night to deny a claim against the city by Oak Tree Alternative Care. A claim against a city is required before a civil lawsuit can be filed in court.
The claim, prepared by Oak Tree’s attorney, Joseph T. Rhea of Palm Springs, was for $180,000 and contended that the city’s decision in March that the dispensary could not operate in Beaumont “caused a complete loss of tenant improvements and the cost associated with the improvements the claimant” made at the location.
The attorney could not be reached for comment for this story.
The City Council adopted an ordinance on March 1 to ban medical marijuana dispensaries or regulate them if the ban was ruled unlawful.
ARCNET encourages citizens to report illegal narcotic activity by calling (951) 922-4844 or WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME (800-782-7463).
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