Ridgecrest council revokes two Freddie’s Smoke Shop business licenses after police present evidence of illegal drugs and contraband

The Ridgecrest City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to revoke the business licenses for Freddie’s Smoke Shop and Freddie’s Smoke Shop #2 following a revocation hearing sparked by a police compliance inspection.

Detective Solerzano told the council that on March 17 investigators inspected eight tobacco shops and found multiple items displayed for sale at Freddy’s Smoke Shop No. 2, at 201 North China Lake Boulevard, that the department believes are illegal: THC vapes and jars that, when opened, contained marijuana “nugs,” psilocybin chocolate bars and several jars of raw mushrooms, nitrous-oxide containers, and a small number of illicit weapons discovered behind the register. “Once we entered the store, we can see all the vapes up along the right side of the wall…and when flipped over you can see actual marijuana nugs inside,” he said while describing the seized items.

City staff asked the council to apply Ridgecrest Municipal Code §9-2-36(c) to revoke the two licenses and said the owner of both stores is linked to the locations in the city’s records. The city attorney explained that the revocation proceeding is administrative and distinct from any criminal prosecution the district attorney may pursue.

Counsel for the owner contested the process and the pace of the hearing, saying the two shops are separate legal entities and describing the action as an “ambush.” The attorney said his client received minimal materials before the hearing despite requests for police reports, photographs, body-cam footage and lab results. “I have not seen any charges filed,” the attorney said, adding that items seized from the store had been removed and proposing alternatives such as fines, probationary inspections or staged compliance steps rather than immediate revocation.

The owner’s son described the potential impacts on six employees and the family if the businesses closed. “My dad had these businesses for multiple years, and that’s how me and my family live,” he said, asking the council to consider the household consequences of a shutdown.

Council members said they had heard the evidence and emphasized accountability. A motion to revoke the licenses passed on a roll-call vote of 4–0: Councilman Gorman — Aye; Councilman Hayman — Aye; Mayor Endicott — Aye; Councilman Blades — Aye. The council did not postpone action to await any pending criminal filings.

The council’s action applies only to the city business licenses; staff clarified the city is not revoking any separate state tobacco license, which is handled by state authorities. The city attorney also told the council that a criminal referral package had been forwarded to the district attorney’s office for consideration.

The revocation is effective as a municipal administrative decision; the council did not lay out additional penalties during the meeting. The owner’s attorney stated he may seek additional information from the district attorney’s materials and noted an arraignment was possible, but the council moved forward with the administrative action.

The council returned to other agenda business after the vote. No appeal or follow-up schedule was announced during the meeting.