LA PUENTE - A federal crackdown on illegal medical marijuana dispensaries has forced the last three remaining collectives in the city to shut down.
After the U.S. Attorney's Office last week began sending warning letters to 17 owners of active marijuana shops in Southern California, Azusa Patient Remedies, 393 S. Azusa Ave., and Trinity Wellness Center, 15747 Amar Road., shut their doors this week.
La Puente's last marijuana collective, La Puente Co-Op, is expected to close "until further notice" on Sunday.
The closures finally rid the city of marijuana dispensaries, a goal officials have sought since the facilities were banned two years ago.
"That's good news," said Councilman Dan Holloway, a longtime opponent of allowing marijuana shops in the city.
Once home to 10 marijuana shops - the most in any San Gabriel Valley city - La Puente has had trouble regulating them.
The city had a dispensary moratorium, but the law lapsed without extension in September 2008. Holloway proposed an outright ban later that year. After failing to garner support, the clinics began to flourish.
Then in July 2010, the City Council banned them, allowing some to continue operating temporarily during an amortization period while they attempted to recoup their investment costs.
Some dispensaries were raided and others voluntarily closed.
La Puente Co-Op and Azusa Patient Remedies were among the few that filed
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amortization applications and remained opened legally. They appeared before the Planning Commission last month to ask for extensions.The commission gave La Puente Co-Op owners until Feb. 21 to prove that they have not recouped their costs and allowing them to stay open.
In the case of Azusa Patient Remedies, planning commissioners voted to shut down the store because the lease on their building expires on Tuesday.
Owner John Chang said at the time he would fight the ruling, but it is unclear if he still plans to pursue the appeal. Chang did not return calls for comment.
Trinity Wellness Center, which closed about two days ago, still has a pending lawsuit against the city, which was filed in October, City Attorney James Casso said.
"We've not heard back from their legal counsel and once we do, we'll obviously have a better idea of what's going to happen and what they will do as plaintiffs," Casso said. "On behalf of the city, we will vigorously defend the city's zoning ordinances."
The shop owner's attorney, Jamie Hall, did not return calls for comment.
Management, however, posted a sign explaining the closure:
"Last week, Trinity Wellness Center received a letter from the United States Department of Justice, specifying that although Medical Marijuana Collectives are legal according to State law, we are in violation of Federal Law. The letter also indicated that we must close our facility."
Federal prosecutors last fall began a campaign targeting illegal operations with a statewide enforcement plan aimed at curtailing the industry's growth.
They filed asset forfeiture lawsuits against properties in Los Angeles and Orange counties and began sending the warning letters.
"The federal enforcement actions are aimed at commercial marijuana operations, including marijuana grows, marijuana stores and mobile delivery services - all illegal activities that generate huge profits," Andr Birotte Jr., Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement. "The marijuana industry is controlled by profiteers who distribute marijuana to generate massive and illegal profits."
Holloway said the shops' absences won't be missed.
"Our residents and our school officials saw very negative impacts when these clinics came in and they were very vocal about their impact," Holloway said. "I think there will be some positive for them leaving."
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