Several people face charges in connection with the discovery of an outdoor marijuana operation in Severn Township.
Drug enforcement officers on Thursday arrested four people while investigating a field reportedly teeming with the illicit plants.
More than a dozen officers returned to the scene the following day to remove approximately 6,000 plants, with an estimated street value of $6 million.
Three men and one woman are charged with production of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
“They were living in a shed out there,” said Det. Sgt. Mark Dennis, of the OPP’s Drug Enforcement Unit.
The plants were discovered on a swampy, wooded property between Orillia and Coldwater, where wet conditions would have provided an ideal growing environment, Dennis said.
The small plants were in their infancy, with some already in the ground and others destined for the soil.
“We caught it very early,” Dennis added. “If it had come to full term in the fall, we would still be pulling them. Like any other farmer’s crop, they usually harvest it in the fall. Marijuana is no different.”
Dennis said the plants typically range from six to eight inches in height during planting and can reach several feet by harvest time.
“A real good one can grow upwards of six feet,” he said.
A tip earlier this year prompted the find.
Dennis stressed that the owner of the private property was not involved in the marijuana operation.
The suspects range in age from 48 to 54, and hail from the Toronto area and New York State.
They were taken into custody and are to appear in Orillia court on June 30.
Police ask the public to keep an eye out for suspicious vehicles on rural side roads.
Residents who discover marijuana fields on their properties are advised not to remove the plants, but to contact police or CrimeStoppers, at 1-800-222-8477.
“There is no bones about it, it is organized crime at different levels, and they are going to great lengths to protect it,” Dennis said. “This one was very much in its infancy.”
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