NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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On Sept. 27, 2020 members of the Southern Georgian Bay Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to an industrial building located at 16567 Highway 12 in the Town of Midland after receiving a call from a concerned citizen who observed suspicious activity with the belief that the complex was abandoned.
Upon arriving, officers noticed signs of a significant cannabis grow operation and secured the premises.
On Sept. 29, 2020 around 6 p.m., members of the Community Street Crime Unit executed a search warrant and entered the building with assistance of the OPP Emergency Response Team, the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau and the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team.
Once inside, officers discovered what appeared to be a professional, high-quality installation in the process of growing over 10,000 cannabis plants in stages of development from seedlings to flowering, a process that spans 2 1/2 to 3 months. It was evident that further mass production installations were to be made, however it is not believed that a harvest of the plants had been completed or that any distribution had taken place.
All the cannabis plants were removed from the premises and were destroyed after samples were taken. Equipment used to grow the plants and operate the installation were seized as proceeds of crime under provisions within the law. The investigation of this matter is continuing, no arrests have been made at this time.
Anyone having knowledge of a crime in the community is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, [email protected] or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can submit your information online at www.p3tips.com. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and you will remain anonymous. Being anonymous, you will not testify in court and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2000.
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