D.C. police raided two stores in Northwest Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood on the grounds that they sell marijuana earlier this week.
Tuesday’s raid started with the police closing off the street, where the building that has two rental floors above a basement shop is located at, 33rd Street and Wisconsin Avenue, across from Book Hill Park.
Hamid Savojbolaghi, the owner of the used bookstore, told the Washington Post that he rented the two floors in November to two men, who told him that they would sell cigarettes, hats and T-shirts.
According to D.C. police, the place was actually functioning as a “marijuana pop-up” and the renters also sold products infused with cannabidiol, or CBD. Three people were arrested.
The 65-year-old Savojbolaghi was reportedly home when officers arrived, but he was not charged with a crime. He said that he was consulting an attorney at the moment about how to legally end his lease with the two arrested men. The men were paying $3,500 per month for rent.
Another police raid took place the following day, December 4, during which four arrests were made.
“Looking out of my office window at Wisconsin Avenue and O Street on Wednesday morning, December 4, suddenly I saw between 10 and 15 police cars pull up, some going the wrong way. At least 20 officers dressed in black, some carrying weapons, trotted up the avenue to a pop-up store on 1432 Wisconsin Avenue,” an eyewitness of the raid told The Georgetowner. “Next thing I see are three men handcuffed with hands behind their backs and being taken to police cars.”
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) decided to take action after receiving a number of complaints from locals about drug activity at the addresses a few weeks ago.