SirBlazinBowl
New Member
Large-scale outdoor marijuana operations are a growing trend, Manitoba Mounties say, in the wake of a third rural pot farm bust in as many weeks.
About 30 officers raided a Rural Municipality of Alonsa farm Tuesday morning and seized 4,400 plants growing in a field.
"There's been a lot seized in the last month," said RCMP Sgt. Steve Colwell, noting the tally for the three raids is 25,100 plants with a potential street value of more than $25 million. Head of Manitoba's RCMP drug section, Staff. Sgt. John Fleming, said the busts are based on public tips and at this time in the growing season, pot plants are easier to spot.
Officers with the Amaranth RCMP and other nearby detachments, drug and major crime sections and the emergency response team were involved in the search that started at about 7:30 a.m. Unlike the other recent raids, no arrests were made as no suspects were found at the scene. Police are still trying to locate those responsible for the grow-op and Staff Sgt. Jean Cormier of the Westlake RCMP detachment said the farm was bought in May and it appears two men had been living there.
The Mountie's harvest season began Aug. 21 with a raid at a farm near Oak Lake, which was purchased in April, where they found 13,200 marijuana plants said to be worth $13 million, the biggest bust in the province's history. They followed that up with the province's second-biggest bust at an Arden-area farm on Sept. 7. That time they plucked 7,500 plants worth about $7.5 million. Cormier said the three busts have similarities.
Yesterday, Colwell and Crown prosecutor Rob Martens couldn't say if the Oak Lake, Arden and Amaranth grow-ops are in fact linked, or whether they fit a scenario supplied to the Sun by an Ontario investigator. The officer said people with ties to organized crime have been snapping up farms for large-scale grow-ops. They bring in growers, often of Asian descent, to tend the plots and keep a low profile.
Many agree to tend the illegal crops because they're trying to earn money to bring family to the country or are new themselves and need cash to get settled. Meanwhile, the three suspects charged in connection with the Arden and Oak Lake busts were remanded in custody in Brandon provincial court yesterday. All face drug production and trafficking charges, and took part in court proceedings with the help of a Cantonese-speaking interpreter.
Chun Choi, 44, and Ping Liang, 43, were charged following the Arden bust and remanded to Oct.12. Jia Gu, 46, was charged in connection with the Oak Lake raid. Shortly after the arrest, he had been deported from the United States. The case was put over to Oct. 14. Martens and police couldn't shed light on the citizenship status of any of the suspects. But Martens said police seized a passport that showed Choi entered Canada in July. Other documents show Liang had been living in Toronto.
Newshawk: SirBlazinBowl - 420Times.com
Source: Brandon Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2005, Brandon Sun
Contact: opinion@brandonsun.com
Website: Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Author: Ian Hitchen
About 30 officers raided a Rural Municipality of Alonsa farm Tuesday morning and seized 4,400 plants growing in a field.
"There's been a lot seized in the last month," said RCMP Sgt. Steve Colwell, noting the tally for the three raids is 25,100 plants with a potential street value of more than $25 million. Head of Manitoba's RCMP drug section, Staff. Sgt. John Fleming, said the busts are based on public tips and at this time in the growing season, pot plants are easier to spot.
Officers with the Amaranth RCMP and other nearby detachments, drug and major crime sections and the emergency response team were involved in the search that started at about 7:30 a.m. Unlike the other recent raids, no arrests were made as no suspects were found at the scene. Police are still trying to locate those responsible for the grow-op and Staff Sgt. Jean Cormier of the Westlake RCMP detachment said the farm was bought in May and it appears two men had been living there.
The Mountie's harvest season began Aug. 21 with a raid at a farm near Oak Lake, which was purchased in April, where they found 13,200 marijuana plants said to be worth $13 million, the biggest bust in the province's history. They followed that up with the province's second-biggest bust at an Arden-area farm on Sept. 7. That time they plucked 7,500 plants worth about $7.5 million. Cormier said the three busts have similarities.
Yesterday, Colwell and Crown prosecutor Rob Martens couldn't say if the Oak Lake, Arden and Amaranth grow-ops are in fact linked, or whether they fit a scenario supplied to the Sun by an Ontario investigator. The officer said people with ties to organized crime have been snapping up farms for large-scale grow-ops. They bring in growers, often of Asian descent, to tend the plots and keep a low profile.
Many agree to tend the illegal crops because they're trying to earn money to bring family to the country or are new themselves and need cash to get settled. Meanwhile, the three suspects charged in connection with the Arden and Oak Lake busts were remanded in custody in Brandon provincial court yesterday. All face drug production and trafficking charges, and took part in court proceedings with the help of a Cantonese-speaking interpreter.
Chun Choi, 44, and Ping Liang, 43, were charged following the Arden bust and remanded to Oct.12. Jia Gu, 46, was charged in connection with the Oak Lake raid. Shortly after the arrest, he had been deported from the United States. The case was put over to Oct. 14. Martens and police couldn't shed light on the citizenship status of any of the suspects. But Martens said police seized a passport that showed Choi entered Canada in July. Other documents show Liang had been living in Toronto.
Newshawk: SirBlazinBowl - 420Times.com
Source: Brandon Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2005, Brandon Sun
Contact: opinion@brandonsun.com
Website: Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Author: Ian Hitchen
