Ottawa police are warning the public about the dangers of illegal marijuana dispensaries after they seized an unlicensed, loaded handgun during raids targeting locally operated Magna Terra Health Services.



Police did not reveal if the gun was found at one of the two Magna Terra dispensaries or at a private home, all of which were raided simultaneously Tuesday morning.



Seven people were arrested, three of them members of the Vigile family, including Magna Terra operator Franco Vigile.



Franco Vigile, 29, Peter J. Vigile, 23, and Magna Terra Health Services have each been charged with six counts related to drug trafficking and one count of possession of property proceeds of crime under $5,000, court records show.



Nina Vigile, who is Franco’s sister and had worked at Magna Terra, was charged with six gun-related offences and possession of property proceeds of crime under $5,000. The gun offences include possession of a dangerous weapon, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of a weapon obtained by crime.



Police say they confiscated a .44 calibre Desert Eagle handgun and ammunition during the raids. Nina Vigile is in custody and has a bail hearing Thursday.



“We continue to advise the public that these storefront (marijuana) operations are illegal and the laws will be enforced,” said Sgt. Rick Carey of the Ottawa Police Service drug unit in a release. “Drugs and guns are continually being found in close proximity to each other, and anyone thinking illegal drug trafficking from behind a storefront counter is safer than on a street corner is fooling themselves.”



Police have conducted raids on 14 dispensaries since November, arresting a total of 29 people.



Franco Vigile appeared by video link in court Wednesday and was released on a $3,000 bond. The conditions include living with his father, Peter Vigile, at 6 Hyde Park Way. That is also where Nina Vigile lives, according to her charge sheet.

The bond conditions allow Franco Vigile to return to the Magna Terra dispensaries on Carling Avenue and on Iber Road in Stittsville in order to close them down.



Franco Vigile asked to speak during his short court appearance, using the opportunity to say he was disappointed in the Canadian justice system. Police used “unnecessary force” during the raid and used “vulgarity” in front of his family, said Vigile, adding he was innocent until proven guilty. “I feel like an animal,” said Vigile, who was handcuffed.



Peter Vigile was in court Wednesday waiting for news about his children. He said police had torn apart his home when they executed a search warrant there on Tuesday.



During the raids, police seized marijuana, hash, hash oil, THC concentrate (shatter), edibles, cash, documentary evidence, computers and cellphones.



The two Magna Terra outlets were the Cadillac of dispensaries in Ottawa, featuring bright, clean waiting rooms and security systems that allowed the receptionist to buzz customers in after viewing them on video.



Franco Vigile prided himself on catering to medical marijuana users and training staff about the various types of cannabis products.



He employed a registered nurse, which he said would also bolster his case with city bylaw officers over whether the Iber Road location could be considered a medical clinic for zoning purposes.



In past interviews, he said he had been working for his dad’s construction business but discovered a passion for medical marijuana.



Vigile called the dispensaries “technically illegal,” but said he felt he was helping people who were not served well by the legal, mail-order medical marijuana system.