Regional police seize equivalent of 40 million marijuana cigarettes
By Kyra Hoggan
Over the summer months, members of Kootenay Boundary Regional Detachment conducted an investigation into the illegal production of marihuana and seized more than 20,000 marihuana plants from 96 outdoor sites throughout the West Kootenay/Boundary, according to RCMP Inspector Nick Romanchuk.
“Numerous samples were obtained from plants seized at the various sites to determine the average yield of the plants, some of which reached 14 feet in height,” he said. “Based on these figures, it is estimated the seized plants would have produced approximately 22,570 pounds of marihuana bud or the equivalent of in excess of 40 million marihuana cigarettes.”
Romanchuk said the majority of the grow sites were located on Crown land and were unattended when discovered, however, in three instances search warrants were executed at grow operations located on private property. As a result, five individuals are facing a number of charges, including production of a controlledsubstance, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
“The amount of marihuana seized during this investigation clearly speaks to the extreme quantities of marihuana produced in the West Kootenay/Boundary and throughout B.C.” Romanchuk added. “I have absolutely no doubt that the majority of this marihuana is distributed and exported by the hands of organized criminal groups to other markets in Canada and the U.S. While we certainly haven’t eliminated the marihuana industry, the effect of removing in excess of 40 million marihuana cigarettes from the illicit market will have a significant impact on the safety of our communities.”
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