Illegal Marijuana Dispensary Posing As Church In Laguna Beach Shut Down

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Laguna Beach police officers shut the doors on an apparent marijuana dispensary posing as a church.

Authorities were first notified of the possible illegal dispensary when a passerby called authorities and reported an intense smell of marijuana coming from the location, as well as a number of people leaving the building with white bags, according to a Laguna Beach Police Department Facebook post.

Officers were then dispatched to the Divine Church of Gardens in the 900 block of Glenneyre St. on Jan. 12.

When police arrived at the establishment, they say two volunteers at the location claimed it was a church that sold sacraments, including marijuana.

The Divine Church of Gardens, however, was listed on Weedmaps, a marijuana dispensary mapping service.

Although the passage of California Proposition 64 in Nov. 2016 allows the recreational use of marijuana within the state, the city of Laguna Beach does not permit the distribution or sale of marijuana for recreational purposes.

"As a result of the investigation," read the department's Facebook post, "LBPD officers seized enough marijuana to cover a Cypress Hill concert, as well as cash proceedings from the sale of their 'religious sacraments'."

The post went on to state that following the investigation, Laguna Beach police have since closed the establishment.