PUTTING THE HIGH IN HIGH PRAIRIE

RCMP set a new record Thursday after they busted a $6.5 million pot
grow-op near High Prairie, Alta.

It's the largest shut down in Alberta so far this year.

Police executed a search warrant on the evening of Aug. 5 on a rural
property northwest of High Prairie, in central Alberta.

They discovered 6,500 marijuana plants in 12 quonsets, which were
about 60 metres in length, six metres wide and three metres high.

Cops described the operation as "somewhat sophisticated due to it
being an outside operation (with) concealment ... watering systems and
sunlight control mechanisms."

"I think we look at it, as police people, of what we prevented down
the road," said Cpl. Barry Ledoux. "We've prevented, No. 1, taking two
million joints or cigarettes off the streets ... No. 2 is the amount
of crime associated with those numbers. You have your drug
traffickers, drug buyers, people with financial deadlines to meet. In
the overall scheme of things, we've put a significant dent in drug
trafficking with this investigation."

Six men between the ages of 25 and 45 were arrested at the scene and
later charged with trafficking-related offences.

Police believe the grow-up started about three months
ago.

They have been investigating for about a month.

"At this time we don't know (where the pot was headed). We would think
a combination of Alberta and B.C.," Ledoux said.

RCMP - including officers from the High Prairie detachment and
investigative section, Lakeshore regional police, Peace River Forensic
Identification section, Grande Prairie and High Prairie dog sections
and the Edmonton Green Team - continue to investigate and say more
people could be involved.

Police have charged Tri Anh Phan, 45, Guang Ping Chen, 40, Chia Haung
Fei, 40, Hung Day Hoang, 35, Cuong Viet Nguyen, 31, and Tuan Anh Tran,
25, with production of cannabis marijuana, possession of cannabis
marihuana for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a stolen
water pump.

The men currently have no fixed address.

They were scheduled to appear in High Prairie Provincial Court on
Monday.

Last week, cops shut down a $4.8 million grow up near Drumheller,
seizing about 3,850 plants.