GAWKERS LOOK TWICE AT TRUCKLOAD OF POT

A Crime Stoppers tip led the Windsor Police drug squad to a bonanza at a
Fontainebleu-area home.

On Tuesday afternoon, police followed their noses to the backyard of the
house and found 85 top grade marijuana plants, each more than a metre high,
with an estimated street value of about $160,000.

"That's some of the best pot we've seen in a long time," said Sgt. Kevin
Trudell. "This is a good grab."

The owner of the house, a man in his mid-30s, was taken into custody to
face charges including cultivation and possession for the purpose of
trafficking.

The bust drew a lot of attention from the man's neighbours, who gathered in
the street to watch police load a pickup truck with the leafy plants, some
with stalks as thick as broom handles.

The attention increased as Trudell drove the load of pot on Tecumseh Road
during rush hour to get to the downtown police headquarters. As the
unmarked truck slowly made its way through traffic, motorists pulled up
alongside to make sure they weren't seeing things. People walking down the
street did double-takes when they saw the cargo Trudell was hauling.

A pair of youths in a car, obviously smelling a familiar skunky odour,
sniffed the air and looked around frantically until they spotted the mound
of weed in the pickup.

"Holy crap!" yelled one, pointing at the truck in disbelief. "That can't be
what I think it is."

Police did not release the name of the suspect.