The Ottawa Police Service shut down an unlicensed cannabis dispensary operating on Rideau Street, seizing illicit drugs, cash, and drug trafficking equipment on May 7.
The Central Neighbourhood Resource Team (NRT) executed a search warrant related to multiple suspected offences under the Cannabis Control Act (CCA).
Officers are said to have seized wholesale quantities of cannabis, cannabis-related products, Canadian currency, and drug trafficking equipment. The unlicensed store has been shut down.
The investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending. A person who works in the area told StratCann that on that day, there was a raid conducted at an unlicensed store called Tribal Cannabis at 487 Rideau St.
Several other unlicensed cannabis stores that remain open on or near Rideau St. include a My Legacy store, part of a larger chain in Ontario, and an Indigenous Cannabis Culture store.
This is part of an ongoing enforcement action by Ottawa Police.
In February 2025, the Ottawa Police Service Drug Unit identified several unlicensed cannabis stores operating across Ottawa without valid provincial licences.
In March 2025, the Vanier/Overbrook Neighbourhood Resource Team (NRTVO) launched an investigation into one of these locations in the 100 block of Beechwood Avenue.
Both police and the property owners issued Notices of Contravention to the operator, requesting proof of compliance with Ontario’s cannabis legislation or an immediate cessation of operations. Despite these formal warnings, the business continued to operate unlawfully.
On April 22, 2025, the NRTVO executed a search warrant related to multiple suspected offences under the Cannabis Control Act (CCA). Officers seized wholesale quantities of cannabis, cannabis-related products, Canadian currency, and drug trafficking equipment. The premises were shut down, and control was returned to the property owners.
While police did not name that business, Google Maps listed one unlicensed cannabis retailer in the 100 block of Beechwood Avenue in Ottawa.
That store, Red Roots Trading Company, seems to reference police action at their 196 Beechwood Ave location in a recent Facebook post. The store operates at least three other locations. A video shared with StratCann appeared to show police parked in front of the same business.
The illicit market in Ontario has been growing considerably in the past year, and many retailers and other cannabis industry participants have been calling on the province to do more. By some estimates, several hundred new, unlicensed retailers have begun operating in different parts of Ontario in the past year, with close to 100 in Toronto alone.
While some have faced enforcement, many have not, causing frustration for licensed retailers who incur numerous fees in order to operate with the province’s approval. A Google Maps search lists at least a half-dozen unlicensed stores operating in the Ottawa area alone.
In Ontario, the sale or distribution of cannabis by anyone other than an authorized retailer is prohibited, as are landlords knowingly allowing their property to be used for illegal cannabis activities. Penalties for violating these provisions range from $10,000 to $250,000, imprisonment of up to two years less a day, or both. Corporations are subject to even steeper fines.
