‘It was a large-scale operation’: Police raid $2 million cannabis grow operation near Clinton

OPP have reported a multi-million-dollar drug bust near Clinton.

Two people are in custody after police raided a sophisticated cannabis growing operation near Clinton.

“It was a large-scale operation. 4,000 plants and all the potting soil that’s required, and fertilizer and water and hydro supply, that was required in this exterior building. It was a large, organized, complex system that was set up there,” said Const. Craig Soldan with the Huron OPP.

“The estimate that we have is in Canadian dollars, it’s over $2 million. If that product were to make it across the border, for example, into the U.S., we know that the value of that product, would be much higher. I’m not sure if that’s where it was intended to go, but certainly they did not have any permits, to grow these plants, and therefore they’ve been charged criminally.”

Members of the Huron-Perth Community Street Crimes Unit, Wellington County Community Street Crimes Unit, West Region OPP Emergency Response Team, West Region OPP K-9 Unit, and Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team were part of the raid on the property on Base Line Road, north of Clinton on Feb. 27.

“It was highly complex and very organized. The two individuals, we believe, were living on the property and maintaining this cannabis grow operation,” said Soldan.

“It takes a lot of work and a lot of effort, and certainly when you are talking about 4,000 marijuana plants, that’s a lot of product that could potentially hit the streets illegally.”

A 61-year-old from Waterloo and 43-year-old from Central Huron were charged with Possession for the Purpose of Distributing, along with cultivating, propagating, harvesting cannabis plants at a place that is not their dwelling. Their next court date is April 30, in Goderich.

“We fully believe that the product we seized was not going to be used for legal means or sold in legal ways. So, this would be destined for an illegal market,” said Soldan.

Any person with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or [phone].

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a web tip at P3tips.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.