TORONTO: Royal Canadian Military Police and ALERT teams have busted a massive marijuana grow operation at a residence in Olds valued at about $2.5M and five people have been arrested.
Police confiscated a total of 2137 marijuana plants from a home and Quonset huts on the property on February 12.
They say the grow-op is the largest dismantled by ALERT’s Green team in more than two years.
$40,000 in cash proceeds of crime was also seized.
The home was authorized to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes but police say the terms and conditions of the licence were violated by the number of permitted plants being grossly exceeded.
Three men and two women were arrested and charges are expected.
Police say four children were in the home at the time of the search and Children and Family Services has been called in to assist.
Alberta Health Inspectors have deemed the house uninhabitable.
The largest grow-op in Alberta was found in High Prairie in August 2010 and 6,500 plants were seized.