More than 450 pounds of cannabis, magic mushrooms, nitrous oxide, and prohibited tobacco products were seized during a search of a shop in Corona del Mar earlier this month, Newport Beach police said on Friday, June 20.
On Tuesday, June 10, detectives served a search warrant at Tobacco and Accessories, at 3617 E. Coast Highway, which was operating as an illegal dispensary, the department said.
“After receiving complaints from concerned parents, detectives began an investigation, which revealed the business was selling prohibited and controlled substances to minors and adults,” police said in a statement.
The store owner kept the illegal products — only accessible to those who knew to ask — in a secret room inside the business, investigators said.
In Newport Beach, licensed or unlicensed marijuana sales are prohibited, Sgt. Steve Oberon said.
It was unclear whether there were any arrests tied to the case.
Newport police declined to provide more information about the seizure.
In May 2024, detectives arrested a clerk at Plugged N Smoke & Sneakers, a shop just 300 feet away from Tobacco and Accessories, for allegedly selling marijuana to a minor. That investigation also uncovered illegal sales of THC products, psychedelics and prohibited tobacco, police said, with sales made with to minors and adults.
Both cases were submitted to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.