Three people were arrested and marijuana, hashish and money seized when search warrants were served at four houses and a Lake Elsinore medical marijuana collective involved in a year-long dispute with the city. Three people were arrested and marijuana, hashish and money seized when search warrants were served at four houses and a Lake Elsinore medical marijuana collective involved in a year-long dispute with the city.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies and code enforcement officials served the warrants Tuesday at 420 Hitters on Casino Drive, two homes in Lake Elsinore and at homes in Hemet and Murrieta, sheriff's officials said.

Deputies confiscated 8 pounds of marijuana, 2.5 ounces of hash, 378 marijuana plants and $1,900.

Arrested were Dominic Armato, 31, collective manager; Melanie Birchard, 27, a receptionist; and Carol Stahl, 54, an edible-marijuana cook, deputies said. They were taken into custody on allegations that include conspiracy to possess, transport and sell marijuana and the cultivation of marijuana for sale.

Collective operators Luis Stahl and his son, Eric, face similar allegations when they are located, deputies said. The collective was closed Wednesday afternoon.

Carol Stahl is Luis Stahl's wife.

The raids followed a four-month investigation that authorities said shows the collective is operating outside the state's medical marijuana laws because it making a profit.

Luis Stahl, who goes by his middle name Carlos, denied Wednesday that the collective is operating illegally.

"They thought they would come out and find a bunch of illegal stuff," Carlos Stahl said in a phone interview. "They didn't find one single thing we're doing that's illegal."

Carlos Stahl questioned how investigators determined the collective is making a profit, saying he does not believe they looked at the bookkeeping records.

"It's a collective, not a business," Carlos Stahl said. "The only thing we can charge for is reimbursement of our direct expenses. I have no idea why they said we're making a profit."