Provincial police say they’ve seized cannabis plants worth more than $122 million as part of an investigation into illicit cannabis production sites on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in eastern Ontario.
Ontario Provincial Police and Tyendinaga police say the production sites were controlled by non-Indigenous organized criminal networks, aided by a “limited” number of community members.
OPP say 10 people, six of whom are not members of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, are now facing charges under the Criminal Code and the Cannabis Act.
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Police say they seized more than 72,000 illicit cannabis plants, three firearms, ammunition and other items as they executed search warrants.
They say an “unlawful diversion” of water from the Bay of Quinte to the cannabis production sites was also stopped.
Chris Brinklow, the acting chief of Tyendinaga police, says the operation took advantage of the community’s land with significant environmental impacts, including the depletion of a local quarry.
“The projected profits have served only to benefit organized criminal networks,” Brinklow said in a statement.
“While a small number of community members may have been involved, the financial gains were not reinvested into the community. The exploitation of Indigenous communities and lands by organized crime is a serious violation of our rights and responsibilities – and it will not be tolerated.”
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