BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
With the raunchy stench of marijuana plants hanging in the air, officers from the Joint Forces Drug Unit busied themselves with the grim task of cleaning out Sudbury's latest residential grow operation Monday morning.
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Police removed 882 marijuana plants from a home in rural Whitefish on Monday morning. |
The officers removed 882 marijuana plants in various stages of growth from a home in rural Whitefish.
Police also removed 3,745 grams of marijuana and 6,810 grams of marijuana shake, consisting of marijuana leaves and stock.
The total amount seized is estimated to have a street value of $960,315, say police. The bust was a result of a one-week investigation.
The officers, consisting of members from the Greater Sudbury Police Services (GSPS), Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Drug Enforcement Section, OPP North East Region and two members of the GSPS Tactical Unit, arrested two males Sunday at 613 Ronka Road in the Lorne Township, about 47 kilometres west of Sudbury.
The two men facing drug charges are Victor Haas, 41, and Gilbert Langlois, 35, both of Chelmsford.
?The two men were arrested without incident at the residence,? said Insp. Dan Markiewich of the GSPS Criminal Investigation Unit.
The sheer quantity of marijuana being grown left the home in bad condition, and forced officers to don protective breathing masks so they didn't inhale the mould.
?This was a very sophisticated grow operation. It was also a big grow-op,? said Markiewich. ?There was cracking in the foundation from the humidity from the operation. There was massive amounts of mould growing as well. It was also a fire hazard because a grow-op of this size is 40 times more likely to catch fire than normal house.?
The grow-op was well planned.
?They dug up the ground and tapped into hydro,? said Markiewich. ?They even made their own power electrical box. They had three of them. They have advanced irrigation systems and harvesting methods. It's turned into a real business.?
It's been estimated by Ontario Hydro the grow-op had also been stealing about $36,000 a year in energy, which eventually comes out of taxpayers' pockets.
Grow-ops don't surprise police.
?It's very profitable for people to get involved in this, and very easy,? said Sgt. Ivan Verdurmen of the RCMP. ?When there's money to be made, then there will always be people to do it. It's a billion dollar industry.?
This is the third year GSPS has been working jointly with the two other police organizations, and it's paying off.
?This is an excellent way to combine our efforts to fight this one cause,? said Markiewich.
This latest bust will be felt in the community.
?I do believe it makes a dent in our community,? said Verdurmen. ?This is one less grow-op bringing down property values and it's more safe for kids in the area. This marijuana isn't getting out into the community.?
Unfortunately, police also realize that for every grow-op they bust, there's another one waiting to be discovered.
The police want citizens to take notice, and help them take down the illegal operations.
?These grow-ops are everywhere,? said Verdurmen. ?They are in your neighbourhood.?
Police ask people to keep their eyes peeled for homes with tampered electrical boxes, people always coming for short visits, strange smells surrounding the home, excessive electrical cords and water lines going into and out of buildings, people bringing unusual items into the home such as soil, planting pots and fertilizers, high condensation on the windows and little or no garbage.
The Joint Forces Drug Unit is here to stay.
?This is another stern message to these people,? said Markiewich. ?We are coming, especially with the help of the public.?
The house, due to the extensive damage sustained, will likely be condemned.
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