VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Police Department said officers confiscated five guns, bags of marijuana and edibles Saturday night after they pulled over several people.
The arrests happened after people left a "pop-up shop" near Dorset Avenue off Virginia Beach Boulevard, according to a spokeswoman for the department.
Over the weekend, Chief Paul Neudigate tweeted pictures telling people why police officers are proactively enforcing current marijuana laws.
He said a large percentage of their robberies and shootings particularly involve illegal marijuana sales.
Neudigate sent us a statement regarding this situation:
"The laws pertaining to marijuana in Virginia are often misunderstood. Though marijuana laws were loosened on July 1, 2021, it is still illegal to possess more than an ounce, to distribute or sell marijuana, and/or to possess any amount of marijuana with the intent to distribute or sell it. Concerned community members often reach out to the VBPD with information related to events such as the pop-up referenced in my tweet. We appreciate the media helping to remind our community about these laws. The VBPD continues to enforce the laws related to marijuana, particularly because of the correlation between violent crimes and possession of marijuana. Our Detective Bureau is regularly tasked with investigating robberies and shootings related to marijuana sales in our City. We are committed to reducing violent crime in Virginia Beach and therefore will continue to proactively and aggressively enforce marijuana laws to prevent these tragedies.
A spokeswoman for Virginia Beach police said they are working on providing more information about this case.