Santa Ana police raid illegal pot shops

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Santa Ana police raided two locations in a strip mall on the 400 block of West 17th Street that they say were housing illegal marijuana dispensaries.

According to police, they've been trying to put one of the illegal retailers out of business for five years.

"We've been dealing with this location since 2013," said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. "We shut them down, they're often open the same night."

The raid began when the Santa Ana Code Enforcement Division went in with an administrative search warrant to investigate safety issues. Once inside, police said they found rows of gas canisters, exposed electrical lines and propane generators installed on the roof.

Police also said they found marijuana, safes and cash, but the people operating the business were not there.

One of the businesses is Sky High Holistic, which police have raided at least four times in the past.

During a raid in May 2015, Santa Ana police officers were caught on surveillance video eating protein bars from the office. Three officers were charged with petty theft in connection with the incident.