‘Prince of Pot’ Marc Emery is arrested in Toronto as police raid marijuana dispensaries across Canada

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A file photo taken on December 15, 2016 shows Marc Emery at his illegal recreational cannabis storefront in Montreal, Quebec. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:18am, 10 Mar 2017Updated: 9:58pm, 10 Mar 2017

Canada’s so-called “Prince of Pot” and his wife were charged Thursday with multiple drug-related charges after being arrested in Toronto.

Lawyer Jack Lloyd said Marc Emery and his wife, Jodie Emery, were taken into custody at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Wednesday evening.

Marc Emery faces 15 counts, including conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime, while Jodie Emery is charged with five similar counts.

Jodie Emery mouthed the words “I love you” to her husband during the couple’s brief Thursday court appearance and flashed a peace sign to supporters in the room before being admonished by the justice of the peace.

Emery was sentenced to five years in prison on drug distribution charges by a US federal judge in Seattle, Washington in September 2010 after pleading guilty to selling marijuana seeds to US customers.

A young man smokes a joint as police officers stand outside a Cannabis Culture shop during a police raid in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Thursday. Photo: AP

The couple owns the Cannabis Culture brand, which has a chain of 19 marijuana dispensaries operating openly in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.