CALIFORNIA — On December 22, the Roseville Police Department arrested two people on suspicion of operating an illegal marijuana store in Roseville.
Since mid-October, brothers Zamrai Popal and Karemullah Popal operated the Temple of Healing and Meditation at 250 South Harding Blvd. under the guise of a church. Roseville Police officers conducted an extensive investigation, and on several occasions saw numerous people making short visits to the facility to buy marijuana. The investigation revealed that the business was nothing more than an illicit retailer of marijuana and concentrated marijuana products, using internet advertising to attract customers and sell to anyone with cash.
Roseville’s Municipal Code section 19.62.030 prohibits the operation of marijuana dispensaries or marijuana processing facilities in the City of Roseville, whether for medical or non-medical marijuana purposes. The business also didn’t meet state legal requirements for a marijuana dispensary, even if the City of Roseville allowed such operations.
On December 22, Roseville’s Crime Suppression Unit detectives served search warrants at the business and at the Popal residence in Gold River. They seized just under $40,000 in cash and an estimated $50,000-80,000 in product. They booked Zamrai Popal, age 36, and his brother, 27-year-old Karemullah Popal, into the South Placer Jail on suspicion of possessing and transporting marijuana for sale, maintaining a place to sell drugs, and conspiracy.
