Police Target Rural Marihuana Grows

The numbers are in, between August 19^th  and August 21st, 2013, four Police Services from across Southwestern Ontario and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) worked together in a multi-jurisdictional marihuana eradication program.

The project, dubbed O-SABOT, involved resources from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) – Kitchener, Toronto West and Toronto North Detachments, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), West Grey Police Service and Hanover Police Service.  Project O-SABOT is the Ontario portion of the Canada wide marihuana eradication program (operation SABOT) that is aimed at locating and destroying outdoor marihuana grow operations to reduce the supply of marihuana to Canadian communities.

This group effort required police services to share information and intelligence in order to identify the marihuana grow sites.  In total, police seized and destroyed close to 2700 marihuana plants.

In September, 2011, the RCMP launched the Marihuana Grow Initiative to combat the prevalence of marihuana production being run and exploited by organized crime groups in Canada. This joint forces operation is an example of the collaboration envisioned within the Initiative and is a needed step in building a coordinated, collective response to this issue across Canada.

“Marihuana is not solely a law enforcement problem; it is a community concern as well”, stated S/Sgt Roland Gosselin, Detachment Commander of the Kitchener RCMP. “Marihuana production is a catalyst for a long list of associated crimes and violence including home invasions of marihuana grow operations, drug endangered children, drug impaired driving, importation of guns and drugs and environmental crimes.”

Some Canadians consider marihuana to be a harmless drug but marihuana production often fuels a range of criminal activity and violence which police say are putting Canadians at risk.  There are many individual and community health and safety concerns with the existence of marihuana grow sites.

Anyone with information about a marihuana grow site or any other illegal activity, can anonymously supply information by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police