Herb Fellow
New Member
The more than 6,000 plants discovered at a site in the Qu'Appelle Valley could have produced enough joints to keep a heavy pot user happy for 922 years, according to an RCMP drug expert.
"This is one of the largest and sophisticated outdoor cannabis marijuana grow operations I have been involved with in my 10 years of investigating drug offences," RCMP Cpl. Scott Delahey states in his report entered into evidence Friday at a Regina drug trial. He told the court he had never encountered a larger grow-op in Saskatchewan.
Delahey's report notes that, sold by the pound, that amount of marijuana could potentially yield a profit of $2,141,300. By the gram, the value would reach $7,577,640, his report states, adding a heavy user will smoke one gram (consisting of about three to six marijuana cigarettes) daily.
Delahey was testifying at the trial for six men charged after an RCMP raid on Aug. 21, 2005, at a site on the Pasqua First Nation, about 20 kilometres west of Fort Qu'Appelle. Lawrence Hubert Agecoutay, 52, Chester Fernand Girard, 59, Nelson Edward Northwood, 58, Jack Allan Northwood, 55, Joseph Clayton Agecoutay, 47, and Robert Stanley Agecoutay, 48, are accused of illegally producing marijuana and possessing the drug for the purpose of trafficking.
RCMP found six large greenhouses -- about 60 by seven metres -- along with four smaller outdoor plots and a small grow site near Robert Agecoutay's home. There were 6,088 plants, most of which were a metre tall, court heard.
The grow sites combined with documents seized in the case prompted Delahey to conclude: "This was a commercial grow for nothing other than profit." Among those documents are papers showing calculations for pounds and ounces, a reduction for expenses, and a three-way split for "Larry, Chester and Us."
In cross-examination, Delahey admitted he saw no signs of harvesting, packaging or distribution, but added "growers don't grow not to harvest."
Delahey said the operation, particularly the watering system, was sophisticated. Hoses ran along rows of plants, and from each hose was a smaller, secondary "spaghetti" hose that fed into a straw placed in the ground alongside each plant. A DVD played for the jury last week showed water being pumped from a tank into one central hose that would feed water along the line to each individual plant.
Delahey said the tarps on the greenhouses would reduce the light for a certain amount of hours each day to simulate fall conditions. "He's tricking the plants -- tricking the plants to flower."
Delahey said those flowers, or buds, are critical because that's where THC (the chemical which produces the high of marijuana) is concentrated. He said the plants had been "sexed" and the males removed. The males don't produce bud, and pot growers don't want the female plants pollinated, which could reduce THC levels.
Under questioning by the defence, Delahey said both pot growers and farmers with a licence to legally grow hemp -- usually for its fibre and seed -- are both growing cannabis plants. However, the THC in hemp is less than 0.3 per cent and as much as 20 per cent in cannabis marijuana. Delahey said THC testing wasn't done on the Pasqua crop because there wasn't sufficient bud on the plants.
He later noted hemp fields are grown by the acre, don't have such an intricate watering system, and are less profitable. Hemp seed sells for about 45 to 50 cents a pound, court heard.
Delahey was also asked by one of the six defence lawyers about marijuana seed production for "compassion clubs," which might provide seed for those holding licences to grow marijuana for medical purposes. He was unfamiliar with such clubs.
The prosecutor is expected to call his final witness Monday.
Source: The Leader-Post
Copyright: 2008, The Leader-Post
Contact: Barb Pacholik, Leader-Post, bpacholik@leaderpost.canwest.com
Website: RCMP drug expert testifies at grow-op trial
"This is one of the largest and sophisticated outdoor cannabis marijuana grow operations I have been involved with in my 10 years of investigating drug offences," RCMP Cpl. Scott Delahey states in his report entered into evidence Friday at a Regina drug trial. He told the court he had never encountered a larger grow-op in Saskatchewan.
Delahey's report notes that, sold by the pound, that amount of marijuana could potentially yield a profit of $2,141,300. By the gram, the value would reach $7,577,640, his report states, adding a heavy user will smoke one gram (consisting of about three to six marijuana cigarettes) daily.
Delahey was testifying at the trial for six men charged after an RCMP raid on Aug. 21, 2005, at a site on the Pasqua First Nation, about 20 kilometres west of Fort Qu'Appelle. Lawrence Hubert Agecoutay, 52, Chester Fernand Girard, 59, Nelson Edward Northwood, 58, Jack Allan Northwood, 55, Joseph Clayton Agecoutay, 47, and Robert Stanley Agecoutay, 48, are accused of illegally producing marijuana and possessing the drug for the purpose of trafficking.
RCMP found six large greenhouses -- about 60 by seven metres -- along with four smaller outdoor plots and a small grow site near Robert Agecoutay's home. There were 6,088 plants, most of which were a metre tall, court heard.
The grow sites combined with documents seized in the case prompted Delahey to conclude: "This was a commercial grow for nothing other than profit." Among those documents are papers showing calculations for pounds and ounces, a reduction for expenses, and a three-way split for "Larry, Chester and Us."
In cross-examination, Delahey admitted he saw no signs of harvesting, packaging or distribution, but added "growers don't grow not to harvest."
Delahey said the operation, particularly the watering system, was sophisticated. Hoses ran along rows of plants, and from each hose was a smaller, secondary "spaghetti" hose that fed into a straw placed in the ground alongside each plant. A DVD played for the jury last week showed water being pumped from a tank into one central hose that would feed water along the line to each individual plant.
Delahey said the tarps on the greenhouses would reduce the light for a certain amount of hours each day to simulate fall conditions. "He's tricking the plants -- tricking the plants to flower."
Delahey said those flowers, or buds, are critical because that's where THC (the chemical which produces the high of marijuana) is concentrated. He said the plants had been "sexed" and the males removed. The males don't produce bud, and pot growers don't want the female plants pollinated, which could reduce THC levels.
Under questioning by the defence, Delahey said both pot growers and farmers with a licence to legally grow hemp -- usually for its fibre and seed -- are both growing cannabis plants. However, the THC in hemp is less than 0.3 per cent and as much as 20 per cent in cannabis marijuana. Delahey said THC testing wasn't done on the Pasqua crop because there wasn't sufficient bud on the plants.
He later noted hemp fields are grown by the acre, don't have such an intricate watering system, and are less profitable. Hemp seed sells for about 45 to 50 cents a pound, court heard.
Delahey was also asked by one of the six defence lawyers about marijuana seed production for "compassion clubs," which might provide seed for those holding licences to grow marijuana for medical purposes. He was unfamiliar with such clubs.
The prosecutor is expected to call his final witness Monday.
Source: The Leader-Post
Copyright: 2008, The Leader-Post
Contact: Barb Pacholik, Leader-Post, bpacholik@leaderpost.canwest.com
Website: RCMP drug expert testifies at grow-op trial
