A previously-unpublicized task force has taken down 27 marijuana grow ops and seized 54,000 plants since it was established three months ago in response to a three-fold increase in the number of complaints in the Cariboo region, federal RCMP revealed Friday.
Made up of an unspecified number of undercover and uniformed members, the Cariboo Region Integrated Marijuana Enforcement (CRIME) also made 24 arrests and seized a half-dozen unregistered firearms over that same period.
RCMP wanted to wait until the task force was "operationally safe," RCMP Cst. Michael McLaughlin said during a press conference at the North District detachment.
"Remember, we're going after organized crime, we're not just satisfying ourselves with a street-level arrest," McLaughlin said. "We want to get important players in jail, we can't release information publicly until we know it's not going to affect that in court."
The task force was established on Sept. 7 after RCMP noticed a 300-per-cent increase in complaints about grow-ops over the previous 17 months and McLaughlin said its efforts will continue.
"We want this problem taken care of and we want the people of the Cariboo to feel safer and feel satisfied with what's happening in their neighbourhood," McLaughlin said.
