Major cannabis busts take place in Prince Edward County

Cannabis. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)

After several sweeping drug raids on pot farms in the Quinte region, Ontario Provincial Police’s Community Street Crime Unit operating in the East Region showed off their impeccable “gardening” skills in Prince Edward County earlier this week.

BIG HAUL County of Prince Edward dump trucks were utilized to haul cannabis plants confiscated at a grow operations near Del Gatto Estates winery on County Rd. 8 on Tuesday. (Submitted photo)

As cannabis harvest season approaches, the CSCU have been nipping illegal marijuana grow operations in the bud in Lennox & Addington and Tyendinaga Townships earlier this month.

But on Monday, they turned their attention to grow ops on this side of the Skyway Bridge.

VACATED Greenhouses near visible form the roadside along County Rd. 8 were a hive of police activity on Monday. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)

According to an OPP news release, the CSCU seized nearly 4,600 cannabis plants in North Marysburgh Ward in Prince Edward County.

CSCU officers, along with members of the Prince Edward County OPP Detachment and OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT) executed multiple warrants on Monday, September 14, 2020 at three locations on County Road 8.

Investigators seized nearly 4600 cannabis plants, a variety of power tools, a shot gun, approximately $10,000 in Canadian Currency and a variety of equipment used for the production of cannabis.

In total, 17 people were arrested in the area. 

The following individuals were arrested and charged with Cultivate, propagate or harvest more than four cannabis plants contrary to section 12(4)(b) Cannabis Act (CA) sec. 12(4)(b)Possession of proceeds obtained by crime – Criminal Code (CC) sec. 354(1)(a):

Yun Ying CAO, age 64 from Scarborough ON 

Wei CHEN, age 41, from Markham ON

Juan MAY-MAY, age 32, no fixed address

Juan PEREZ XILOJ, age 43 from Leamington 

Hong Qin CAO, age 60 from Markham

Jing Teng CAO, age 38 from Markham

Peng Hong CAO, age 34 from Markham

Yi Qin CAO, age 62, no fixed address

Yu CAO, age 33, no fixed address

Lin Fong JIN, age 63, no fixed address

Xiu Ying LIN, age 60, no fixed address

Xiu Ling QIU, age 55, no fixed address

Li Zhen ZHANG, age 64, no fixed address

Juan GUZMAN-VELASCO, age 34, no fixed address

Felipe MONTERO-MONTERO, age 45, no fixed address

Juan PEDRAZA-MARTINEZ, age 25, no fixed address

Luis VILLANUEVA-CANTOR, age 32, no fixed address

The accused individuals have been released and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Picton on November 25,, 2020.

-Staff