Six people have been charged after an RCMP investigation in Ontario uncovered a massive cannabis grow operation that had live-in staff and plans to expand globally.
An RCMP investigation into the grow-op began in 2022, after Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) referred the matter to the federal law enforcement agency, police said in a March 27 news release.
Roughly 17,000 cannabis plants were seized from three “large-scale illegal grow sites” before being destroyed by investigators, the RCMP said, adding that the operation likely brought in approximately $16 million a year.
“Each of the sites were staffed with full-time live-in workers, none of whom have legal status to work and grow cannabis in Canada,” the release said.
“The criminal network was also linked to the operation of two other illicit cannabis production sites in Ontario which were dismantled by the OPP and the Toronto Police Service.”
RCMP said the operation network had exported cannabis to the United States and Hong Kong, and had plans to expand distribution into Europe.
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Five Toronto residents are facing numerous drug and identity theft charges in connection with the investigation. Charged are 45-year-old Shao Bo “Barry” Xie, 42-year-old Feng Gao, 34-year-old Shan “Sam” Gao, 26-year-old Xu Han, and Fang Han, 30. Zdena “Denise” Mesko, 61, of Sarnia, Ont., has also been charged.
The six suspects were have since been released and have May 7 court dates in Toronto, police said.
RCMP are alleging that millions of dollars were laundered through Canadian banks by the network, using an identity fraud scheme.
Police say members of the drug network would apply for Health Canada authorizations to produce medicinal cannabis. When applying, the suspects would use identities “of individuals who were not aware of the applications,” police said.
The authorizations were then used to get commercial leases, expanding the group’s production, according to the release.
Largest NWT Drug Seizure
Two other individuals from Toronto, as well as one from Edmonton, were recently charged with drug trafficking following a separate RCMP investigation in the Northwest Territories.
The investigation led to the largest drug seizure in the territory, according to a Feb. 14 RCMP news release.
RCMP said an investigation began last fall to “disrupt drug traffickers” in N.W.T.
Search warrants were executed on two homes and one vehicle Feb. 5 in Yellowknife, RCMP said.
A taser, more than $360,000 in cash, and 4.7 kilograms of cocaine were seized during the searches. The cocaine was equivalent to approximately 16,000 doses with an estimated street value of $950,000, police said.
RCMP laid several drug and weapons charges against Sapphire Ingham, 25, of Edmonton, Nuridin Ali, 30, of Toronto, and Brandon Alexander Thomas, 30, of Toronto in connection with the investigation.
“We believe this is the largest drug seizure as well as money seizure in the history of the Northwest Territories,” RCMP regional commander Lisa Moreland said in the statement.
“There is no doubt that this investigation has significantly disrupted a drug trafficking and organized crime network within the Northwest Territories and I am confident that it will make a difference to residents throughout the area.”
