Pubdate: Friday, September 25, 1998
Source: Ottawa Sun (Canada)
Contact:  http://www.canoe.ca/OttawaSun/
Author: Brad Hunter

THESE WILD WEEDS WORTH $9M

Police investigators seized more than $9 million in pot plants
yesterday that were growing wild near Hawkesbury.

Members of the joint forces of the Eastern Region Drug Unit of the
OPP, the Hawkesbury OPP along with the Pembroke, Carleton Place and
Renfrew Police Services conducted the seizure.

More than 9,000 marijuana plants -- mostly mature -- were seized at
two separate undisclosed locations.

Investigators say it doesn't appear that it was a commercial
operation.

OPP Det. Const. Chris Nicholas said there was no Mr. Big behind the
pot plantation and charges are unlikely.

"It wasn't being grown by anybody but we don't want to disclose where
it is because we don't want people looking around for marijuana,"
Nicholas said.

Police say it is likely they will be back in the fields again today
harvesting the remainder of the marijuana.

"This was growing wild and besides in these sorts of situations you
have to find the people in the fields or find out who planted it,"
said Const. Michel Benoit of the Hawkesbury OPP.

Benoit said the most recent pot seizure was the biggest of the summer
in Eastern Ontario.

It wasn't known how the marijuana was discovered but in late summer
and early fall the police routinely fly surveillance over the
countryside looking for pot plants.

The plants seized yesterday will be destroyed at an undisclosed
location by the unit.

Copyright (c) 1998, Canoe Limited Partnership.
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Checked-by: Matt Elrod