{"id":4756,"date":"2022-03-10T23:30:25","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T23:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=196455"},"modified":"2022-03-10T23:30:25","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T23:30:25","slug":"lapd-raids-jungle-boys-dispensary-seizing-174000-in-cash-and-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4756","title":{"rendered":"LAPD raids Jungle Boys dispensary, seizing $174,000 in cash and tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Upstanding dispensary TLC by Jungle Boys unjustly raided | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. 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You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<h3 id=\"h-the-current-trend-of-petty-raids-has-the-industry-on-high-alert-as-authorities-play-both-cops-and-robbers-at-the-expense-of-compliant-weed-businesses\">The current trend of petty raids has the industry on high alert as authorities play both cops and robbers at the expense of compliant weed businesses.<\/h3>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">TLC Collective is a highly-respected dispensary run by industry veterans the Jungle Boys for over 16 years. The shop reportedly paid $18 million in California taxes last year. But that wasn\u2019t enough to stop the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) from treating the store like a criminal operation during a March 1 raid.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cam-9AJJ6bh\/?utm_medium=copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shop\u2019s Instagram page<\/a>, California tax authorities showed up to the Boyle Heights dispensary with about 20 undercover vehicles from LAPD, the LA County Sheriff\u2019s Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Owners watched the officers enter on security footage, convinced they made a huge mistake and missed a multi-million-dollar payment. Turns out, the raid occurred over a $66,000 fine discrepancy that was being fairly contested.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-solid-color\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSo we give these agencies all of our money over taxed and over regulated and this is what we get when we dispute a late fee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>TLC Collective owners via Instagram<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>What caused this massive raid and cash seizure?<\/h2>\n<p>The issue started during the early pandemic days of 2020, when the CDTFA was not accepting cash payments. This created an obvious hurdle for cannabis businesses, who must deal almost exclusively in cash thanks to the continued federal prohibition of marijuana. At the time of the raid, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/dispensary-info\/tlc-collective\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TLC<\/a> by Jungle Boys was legally disputing the fine via the appropriate channels. But none of that mattered to California tax authorities.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n[embedded content]\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Officers involved in the raid reportedly seized more than $174,000 in cash, including budtender tips, before facetiously asking detained individuals \u201chow much they could make\u201d growing weed.<\/p>\n<p>To clear their good name, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/dispensary-info\/tlc-collective\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TLC<\/a>\u2018s owners posted screenshots of messages exchanged with CDTFA officials, insisting they had done nothing to warrant the raid. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur office is not aware of reason for the raid of your client, but I will see if I can get any information,\u201d said one screen-shotted message from the CDTFA. Another posted message read: \u201cRegarding your appeal, notes in our system show that it is currently pending a settlement review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/dispensary-info\/tlc-collective\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TLC<\/a> by Jungle Boys team\u2019s rightful frustration boiled over on Instagram. \u201cI\u2019ve gone through every emotion, and when I realized I pay all these people to do this shit to us,\u201d wrote the @JungleBoys account. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-solid-color\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI just can\u2019t wrap my head around it. We are a legal compliant business, and this is how we get treated?\u201d <\/p>\n<p><strong><em>@JungleBoys on Instagram<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" alt class=\"wp-image-31212 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/lapd-raids-jungle-boys-dispensary-seizing-174000-in-cash-and-tips.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/lapd-raids-jungle-boys-dispensary-seizing-174000-in-cash-and-tips.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/lapd-raids-jungle-boys-dispensary-seizing-174000-in-cash-and-tips.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/lapd-raids-jungle-boys-dispensary-seizing-174000-in-cash-and-tips.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>The TLC Collective dispensary is one of the best-rated shops in California, according to Leafly shoppers. The Boyle Heights store scored 4.9 out of 5 stars with a total of 795 reviews. (Courtesy of TLC Collective)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The growing trend of unjust raids and seizures<\/h2>\n<p>In January, a federal judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2022-01-31\/marijuana-cash-armored-cars-judge-ruling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blocked<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2022-01-28\/marijuana-cash-seized-armored-car-fbi-san-bernardino-sheriff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">requests<\/a> to stop law enforcement agencies from targeting armored cars that transport cash for dispensaries. <\/p>\n<p>The case began when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2022\/02\/01\/fbi-and-california-sheriff-illegally-seized-marijuana-cash-belonging-to-licensed-dispensaries-lawsuit-claims\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Empyreal Logistics vans<\/a> were stopped in traffic by sheriff\u2019s deputies, which led to more than $1 million in cash getting seized and forfeited to the FBI. The feds claim the money came from money laundering and illicit sales, but provided no evidence or charges to follow their seizure.<\/p>\n<p>The judge acknowledged Empyreal\u2019s side of the case was valid, but blamed the logistics company\u2019s lawyers for their loss. \u201cEmpyreal may very well have an excellent case on the merits,\u201d said the judge. \u201cThe court respects Empyreal\u2019s zeal and does not doubt its sincerity \u2014 but Empyreal\u2019s counsel does their client no favors by cutting procedural corners and ignoring the court\u2019s guidance,\u201d ruled Judge John W. Holcomb.<\/p>\n<p>The precedent set by the Empyreal case could allow authorities to declare open season on upstanding cannabis operators nationwide. Many law enforcement agencies have already been accused of abusing the gray area that exists between state laws and federal prohibition\u2013the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/dispensary-info\/tlc-collective\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TLC<\/a> raid is just the most visible example.<\/p>\n<p>All stakeholders in the legal cannabis industry must resist these federal overreaches immediately. In the aftermath of their episode with the state, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/dispensary-info\/tlc-collective\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TLC<\/a> by Jungle Boys operators wrote on Instagram: \u201cThe California cannabis tax system is broken, and we will all be out of business while all these agencies continue to get bigger everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-03-11 03:40:31 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Upstanding dispensary TLC by Jungle Boys unjustly raided | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The current trend of petty raids has the industry on high alert as authorities play both cops and robbers at the expense of compliant weed businesses. TLC Collective is a highly-respected dispensary run by industry veterans the Jungle&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}