2 BUSTED FOR $60M POT PLOT

Drug investigators have smashed a hydroponic dope operation near Alfred
capable of producing more than $60 million worth of pot a year.

Two men face a variety of drug charges after a raid yesterday, the
culmination of a three-month investigation targeting Eastern Ontario
marijuana growers. Cops seized 1,400 pot plants with an estimated street
value of more than $4 million.

Sgt. Dave Dauphny of the RCMP said the lab was the "most sophisticated"
narcs have seen in this part of the country, with the equipment alone
valued at more than $100,000.

"This was not a penny-ante thing, and it really shows the scope of the
operation," Dauphny said. "This really is the wave of the future. These
guys are providing grass all year round."

A 44-year-old resident of the house and a 45-year-old male from Laplaine,
Que., have been charged with trafficking of a controlled substance,
cultivation of marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

They had a show cause hearing yesterday afternoon.