TRUCKLOAD OF POT HAULED AWAY

Rare is the Saskatchewan farm truck that has carried a crop worth millions
of dollars, but that's the size of vehicle it took to haul away thousands of
marijuana plants reaped in the province's biggest pot bust.

"(It was) a very high-valued crop with lots of money and lots of work
involved," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Brian Jones told reporters at a news
conference Monday.

Beneath a harvest moon one day earlier, RCMP officers finished counting and
packing up 7,592 marijuana plants found growing in makeshift greenhouses on
a farm on the Pasqua First Nation, about 20 kilometres west of Fort
Qu'Appelle.

A five-ton farm truck, borrowed from a local farmer, could hold only 6,000
of the leafy green stalks. The rest of the stash had to be carted off in
another vehicle

"It's certainly the largest illegal, marijuana grow operation in
Saskatchewan," said Jones. It's closest rival in the province was 4,700
plants. The potential street value of this seizure is estimated at $7.5
million.

"The rough estimate is that for every mature plant, they will realize a
profit about $1,000," he explained.

Six men ranging in age from 18 to 57 are in custody and due to appear in a
Fort Qu'Appelle courtroom Thursday. Two are from the Fort Qu'Appelle area,
one of no fixed address, two from Ontario and one from Indiana.

The pre-dawn raid found plants in various stages of maturity growing in
seven tarp-covered, wooden structures that measured six by 60 metres. The
structures not only trapped heat, but the covers could be removed so the
plants could bask in Prairie sunlight. Some plants were also growing in an
open field.

Any potential profit will soon be up in smoke. Police have already received
an emergency destruction order to allow for the plants' incineration.

The search was the culmination of a "short" investigation, lasting some
months, said Jones.

"It was people that were concerned about what was going on and information
was forwarded to police and on that an investigation was undertaken and
intelligence was gathered and led to the execution of the search warrant,"
he added.

The search of two homes and several outbuildings also turned up 11 rifles
and shotguns, as well as ammunition.

"Certainly (there was) ammunition for those weapons, which speaks to the
potential," said Jones, who noted no weapons were fired in the search. "But
one has to wonder why they were there, and certainly in the numbers that
they were there," he added.

The raid, which began at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, ended up involving about 25
officers after it gave way to a 9.5-hour manhunt. Three individuals who had
been in "sleeping quarters" next to the grow operation fled into the
heavily-wooded terrain. The search involved the use of an airplane, RCMP
boat on Pasqua Lake, the RCMP emergency response team, and canine units.

The suspects were located at about 2 p.m. as they entered a home on the
reserve to seek refuge.