Twenty-six people face charges after OPP seized more than a dozen firearms and thousands of cannabis plants east of Bancroft, Ont., earlier this week.
Led by the OPP’s East Region Community Street Crime Unit, investigators on Tuesday executed search warrants at locations near McArthur’s Mills, Ont., about 25 kilometres east of Bancroft. Searches took place at two locations on Hartsmere Road, one in Carlow-Mayo Township and another in Addington Highlands Township.
Investigators seized 4,000 cannabis plants, 140 kilograms of dried cannabis, nearly 500 kilograms of cannabis shake, growing/processing equipment and more than a dozen firearms.
Twenty-six people were arrested in the investigation which also included the OPP’s Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, tactics and rescue unit and emergency response team, canine unit and provincial asset forfeiture unit.
Charged with careless storage of a firearm, processing cannabis for the purpose of selling and cultivate, propagate or harvesting more than four cannabis plants are:
- Carlow-Mayo Township: Li Fang Lin, 36
- Scarborough residents: Hong Jun Chen, 64; Hong Tao Chen, 51, Shu Lin Chen, 58; Yi Qi Chen, 63; Daidi Jin, 56 and Shungue Wang, 58
- Markham residents: Mu Xian Chen, 61; Xue Ying Chen, 66; Yinguan Chen, 65; Qiangdi Jiang, 52; Saihua Ou, 54 and You Yu Peng, 61;
- Aurora residents: Jin Shui Zheng, 60, and Yu Hua Zheng, 61
The following were charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling, and cultivate, propagate or harvest more than four cannabis plants.
- Scarborough residents: Ai Qing Chen, 57; Ping Wen Dong, 52; Meijuan Gao, 53
- Quebec residents: Kunyu Chen, 62 and Xue Jie Wu, 40, both of Montreal and Yan Jian Li, 46, of Lasalle
- Markham: Xinping Ou, 46
- Mississauga: Gao Lei Wang, 41, of Mississauga
- Stouffville: Guang-Da Yu, 65
Barrie: Jinkai Zhang, 37 - Aurora: Wenyi Zhang, 45,
All accused persons were released on an undertaking and are scheduled to appear in court in Bancroft on Oct. 27.
Bancroft is approximately 100 km from Peterborough.