Six people are facing charges after a large-scale cannabis network with an estimated annual value of more than $16 million was shuttered by the RCMP.
Canada’s federal policing agency said in a news release Thursday that its Ontario division had been investigating the operation, which was recently shut down, for more than two years.
The RCMP said it has seized and destroyed roughly 17,000 cannabis plants from the network, which was operating three large-scale illegal grow sites.
“Each of the sites were staffed with full-time live-in workers, none of whom have legal status to work and grow cannabis in Canada,” the RCMP said in the release.
“The criminal network was also linked to the operation of two other illicit cannabis production sites in Ontario, which were dismantled by the OPP and the Toronto Police Service.”
These undated photographs show a now-dismantled illicit cannabis grow operation in Ontario. Six people have been arrested and are facing charges, the RCMP said Thursday.
RCMP/Photo
The RCMP estimated the operation could’ve had an annual production value of more than $16 million. It also said the network exported the illicit cannabis to the United States and Hong Kong and had plans to expand distribution into Europe.
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“The RCMP allege millions of dollars in profits from this operation were laundered through the Canadian banking system by a sophisticated identity fraud scheme,” it said.
“They applied for Health Canada authorizations to produce medicinal cannabis using the identity of individuals who were not aware of the applications. These authorizations were then used to obtain commercial leases and expand the group’s cannabis production.”
Six people – five from Toronto and one from Sarnia, Ont. – were arrested and charged with several offences, including unlawful cultivation of cannabis and conspiracy to impersonate for advantage.
All accused were arrested at the RCMP Toronto West Detachment and released on an undertaking.
Their first court appearance is scheduled to be held on May 7.
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Massive Ontario pot grow-op had live-in staff, global expansion plans: RCMP
