Several charges have been laid, and more are expected after millions of dollars worth of cannabis plants were seized during police raids in Chatham and Merlin.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service said during a compliance check on June 24, Health Canada agents discovered that a licensed medical marijuana grow operation on Talbot Trail in Merlin was exploiting regulatory loopholes, significantly exceeding its authorized plant limits.
In response, officers with the CK police Intelligence Unit obtained and executed a search warrant at the property, seizing 2,765 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of $2.765 million.
A 47-year-old man and a 39-year-old man, both from Merlin, were arrested and have been charged with cultivating, propagating, or harvesting cannabis plants derived from illicit seeds or plant material under the Cannabis Act. The pair have since been released from custody with a future court date.
Following another referral from Health Canada, the Intelligence Unit executed additional search warrants on June 26 and June 27 at two locations on Patteson Avenue in Chatham. Both buildings were licensed to cultivate 438 plants annually for personal medical use. However, both were operating as commercial-scale grow operations rather than adhering to personal use regulations.
As a result, officers seized 23,474 cannabis plants with a street value of around $23.4 million. Police also seized various items related to the grow operations, including two vehicles.
Charges in these seizures are expected in the comings weeks as an investigation continues.