Washington, D.C.’s Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration shut down a licensed cultivator on Feb. 27, marking the first time a once-operational grow site was shuttered as part of the district’s larger crackdown on illicit cannabis activity in its medical market.
Authorities officially shut down Blossomz, which is registered as West2East LLC, about one month after suspending the business’s cultivation license.
The move is just the latest in a long-running effort from the local government to crack down on illicit cannabis operators. Earlier this year, ABCA announced it had shuttered its 100th illicit smoke shop.
“ABCA is committed to ensuring DC’s medical cannabis program offers a range of safe, legal products for patients as well as opportunities for legal businesses to succeed,” said ABCA Director Fred Moosally in a Jan. 6 statement. “Alongside MPD and other government agencies, ABCA is working to support the licensed market while being responsive to public concerns.”
The Metropolitan Police Department and ABCA inspected West2East’s facility, according to a police report that was posted online by The Outlaw Report. Authorities seized 20 boxes of plastic bags, three large bins with black plastic bags, and 12 boxes of jars all containing a “green leafy substance.” Police officers typically list seized cannabis as “green leafy substance” until their own labs can verify that it is, in fact, cannabis. They also confiscated 10 black bins with packages of pre-rolls.
West2East suspended in January
ABCA previously suspended West2East’s license on Jan. 28 because the operator failed to renew their license. The agency sent a cease-and-desist letter on that date.
The business is registered to Jacqueline Abarca. She could not be contacted for comment, nor could the attorney that assisted in her business registration, Tyler Beall, who has since relocated from Maryland to Florida. The ABCA characterized the enforcement as part of an ongoing operation and declined to comment.
West2East, which was licensed at tier 3 to grow between 25,000 and 50,000 square feet of canopy, operated its cultivation site at 1840 Fenwick St. in the district’s Fifth Ward. Previously, Holistic Remedies operated out of that site, but aside from the shared address, there does not appear to be any other link between the two companies.
West2East is one of just two cultivators that have been shut down, but it was the first that had at one point been operational.
Last year, ABCA revoked the license of Bouquet Labs. Authorities announced the closure on May 8, 2025, after seizing 999 cannabis plants that they said were illegally grown. The operator’s license had preliminary approval but had not yet been formally awarded.
By July 9, 2025, Bouquet Labs signed a settlement agreement with ABCA in which it agreed to vacate the premises and pay a $10,000 fine.
“Respondent affirms that it has ceased all unlicensed cannabis cultivation, and agrees that it shall not conduct distribution or sale on the premises and online,” said the agreement.
Few cannabis cultivators to serve D.C.
There are currently only six active licensed cultivators in the district, according to the CRB Monitor database. Aside from West2East, two other cultivators are also currently suspended, Community Projects and District Growers.
The district’s medical program continues to slowly grow as more gray-market operators have been brought into legal compliance.
The total number of registered patients hit 99,710 in January, according to the latest monthly report from ABCA.
The district previously allowed gray markets to operate under a gifting model as part of the I-71 initiative, which recognized the right of residents of the district to legally possess cannabis, despite the U.S. Congress blocking its sale.
The district created a pathway for these shops to legally enter the medical market, which also allows residents and non-residents to self-certify their eligibility for medical cannabis.
Along with the new pathway, the district also began cracking down on illicit operators, and in July 2024, district government granted the ABCA the authority to shut down businesses that were out of compliance.
Since then, the district has inspected 158 unlicensed businesses, issued 125 warning letters and 41 cease-and-desist letters, and shuttered 123 locations, according to ABCA’s enforcement dashboard.
