Halifax Regional Police have charged four people during a drug search at a marijuana dispensary Friday afternoon, including its owner.

Shirley Martineau and three other men in Auntie's Health and Wellness were taken into custody around 2:45 p.m.

Martineau has spoken publicly with CTV News about her plans to sell cannabis without a prescription. The dispensary, which has been open for about four months, sells mainly medical marijuana. Martineau said she recently began selling marijuana with or without a prescription.

At the time, police said they weren't actively pursuing people selling cannabis in storefronts, although it is illegal.

“There was a public complaint and we investigated and initiated a search warrant,” said Const. Dianne Penfound, spokesperson for Halifax Regional Police. “Currently we had grounds to arrest people in custody.”

Police would not say when the complaint was made.

Officers say they have charged a 66-year-old woman, a 42-year-old man and a 22-year-old man – all of Dartmouth – and 24-year-old man from Lower Sackville. They’re each facing one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking in marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking cannabis resin.

Martineau faces an additional charge of cultivation of marijuana.

All four have been released and are expected to appear in Halifax provincial court at a later date.