$1.4 million in cannabis products seized from unlicensed dispensary, Costa Mesa says

City and state authorities seized more than $1.4 million worth of cannabis products from an unlicensed dispensary in Costa Mesa, the city said this week.

The Costa Mesa Police Department and California Bureau of Cannabis Control served a warrant March 28 at Costa Mesa Beach Buds at 1651 Placentia Ave., according to a city statement Tuesday.

The action was part of an ongoing partnership between the city and state authorities to crack down on illegal cannabis facilities, the city said.

Sales of commercial cannabis require a license from one of California’s three cannabis licensing bodies. City officials maintain a list of local dispensaries under investigation in Costa Mesa.

Retail sales and cultivation of marijuana products are prohibited in the city.

“Illegal dispensaries harm and burden surrounding business owners and taxpayers,” Mayor Katrina Foley said in a statement. “Allowing them to illegally operate in the city creates an unfair advantage over our lawfully permitted green zone businesses. We are so grateful for the efforts of the Bureau of Cannabis Control to address illegal dispensaries in Costa Mesa.”

The city’s “green zone” was created by Measure X — a 2016 voter-approved ballot initiative that allows firms that research, test, process and manufacture some marijuana products to open in a specified area north of South Coast Drive and west of Harbor Boulevard.

Daily Pilot staff writer Luke Money contributed to this report.

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