ABANDONED C.B. BARN STOCKED WITH POT

SYDNEY - Police have seized more than $120,000 worth of marijuana in
a raid on an abandoned barn in Ross Ferry.

Cape Breton Regional Police believe Wednesday night's haul belongs to
the same people whose plants they seized in Georges River last month.
No charges have been laid in either case.

Staff. Sgt. Paul Jobe said police felt it was more important to seize
the drugs before they were sold rather than invest the time in a stakeout.

"Otherwise, this would have been out on the streets and getting to
kids," he said, gesturing at the pile of leafy plants poking out of
the back of a truck. "We hit them twice; we're talking (a total) of
$600,000, so it's pretty significant in our books."

It took police more than five hours to uproot the 200 marijuana
plants and gather up 14 kilograms of marijuana buds hidden at the
abandoned property. The plants were growing outside and would likely
have been ready for harvest in about three to four weeks, Staff Sgt. Jobe said.

The buds had been hanging upside down inside the barn so the
tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound that produces a smoker's high,
would trickle down and make the end product more potent.

The plants are believed to have been growing outside for about three
months, but went undetected because the barn is relatively isolated.

Staff. Sgt. Jobe said remote grow-ops can be difficult for police to
find and that tips from the public are what usually lead to such raids.

Cape Breton Regional Police have made several high-profile raids this
year, in which they say they have seized more than $1.5 million in drugs.

The drug squad has several suspects in the Ross Ferry case. Anyone
with information is asked to call police at 563-5151.