Charges have been laid against several suspects allegedly involved in a massive Okotoks grow-op uncovered by RCMP last March.
On July 14, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team ' s Green Team South, formerly known as SAMIT, laid more than 80 criminal charges against nine people following an 18-month investigation.
The investigation included the seizure of over $17 million worth of marijuana from nine Calgary area grow-ops, one of which was found in Okotoks, according to a statement from Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT).
On March 18, Okotoks RCMP recovered 1,248 marijuana plants during a raid of a residence at 180 Westland Street.
“ Twelve hundred plants is a huge amount,” said Sgt. Ian Shardlow of the Okotoks RCMP in an interview following the raid. “ This is a big grow-op for Okotoks, probably one of the biggest we ' ve had in a while.”
A search warrant was granted after an eight-week investigation following an anonymous tip received in January, Shardlow said. Green Team South attended the scene for several hours on March 18 and assisted in dismantling the grow-op and processing the evidence found inside the home.
The marijuana found in the Westland Street home was worth an estimated street value of $1.5 million, said Shardlow.
While Okotoks RCMP looked into the case, their investigation crossed paths with that of Green Team South that was looking into several Calgary grow-ops.
“ We continued with our own investigation but more in support of the greater good,” said Shardlow. “ We were in potential range of laying charges right away, but to support the investigation, we held off on those (until ALERT laid their charges.)”
In total, Green Team South uncovered more than 13,500 marijuana plants from all the grow-ops.
Investigators found some of the suspects have connections to two organized crime groups, including the Hells Angels, working together. Another two grow-ops dismantled in rural Alberta last year were also likely connected to the crime groups, according to ALERT.
In the past five years, Shardlow said RCMP have executed search warrants on four different grow-ops in Okotoks.
A raid took place in June 2010, also in the Westmount neighbourhood. Another took place in November 2009 in the Silvertip neighbourhood, and another two were found in Cimarron in April and June of 2009.
Shardlow said grow-ops are often uncovered in neighbourhoods where you would least expect to find them.
“ It ' s a non-descript neighbourhood,” he said. “ It ' s a nice family-oriented community, and it ' s a nice house.”
Shardlow asked Okotokians to call RCMP if they suspect there may be a grow-op taking place in their neighbourhood.
“ Oftentimes these files get developed from what seems like really innocuous information,” he said.
Community awareness of grow-op houses is key to everyone ' s safety, he added.
“ These houses are hugely dangerous,” said Shardlow. “ None of the wiring meets code and they ' re huge fire hazards.”
Signs include a marijuana smell, wet windows and window coverings, and people coming and going from the residence at odd hours.
“ Often they will also be the only house in the neighbourhood that doesn ' t have snow on it because it ' s so hot in there,” he said.
