As part of an Ontario Provincial Police enforcement project tracking black market cannabis, investigators say they have uncovered sophisticated operations connected to organized crime and the exportation of marijuana to the United States.
“We see individuals coming in (and) buying up rich agricultural properties, properties with existing greenhouses, that make it easy for them to then turn them into these illegal cannabis production sites,” explained OPP Det.-Insp. Jim Walker, who is with the service’s organized crime enforcement bureau as well as the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (PJFCET).
“It’s a profit-rich environment for organized crime to generate money and a revenue stream.”
Police said PJFCET has been active for two years and is responsible for enforcing the cannabis laws and investigating criminal enterprises that are exploiting or abusing the legal cannabis market. Since May, the task force has been involved in dozens of…
