DRUG BUST LINKED TO ORGANIZED CRIME: OPP

Three Residents Charged in $3m Marijuana Haul

A $3-million drug bust in the Lindsay area, involving residents from
Whitchurch-Stouffville and Keswick, is linked to organized crime, police say.

Three people from Whitchurch-Stouffville and three from Keswick were
among those charged in the Coboconk area last week.

OPP drug enforcement unit officers executed several warrants on four
Coboconk farms, seizing marijuana and $200,000 in vehicles.

Nineteen people were arrested. Facing drug-related charges are a
49-year-old man and a 38-year-old man from Stouffville and a
48-year-old man from Musselman's Lake.

Those charged from Keswick are a 58-year-old woman, a 65-year-old man
and a 25-year-old man.

The arrests were the result of a month-long investigation, which was
running 24/7 by the last week, OPP Staff Sgt. Rick Barnum said.

"It's a perfect example of local organized crime," Sgt. Barnum said.
"We had officers working round the clock, and help from Crime Stoppers
and informants as well."

The marijuana was in various stages of production, from plants to
buds, when it was seized along with items used to process the drugs,
police said.

Also found in the raid were scales, a rifle and a 30-foot trailer. The
vehicles included a luxury Denali sports utility vehicle and a rusty
older pickup truck.

Police belief local organized crime is involved, St. Barnum
said.

"What people have to realize is a lot of this marijuana ends up going
down south to the (United) States and comes back here (traded) as
cocaine. We're seeing more and more cocaine up here."

Sgt. Barnum said more warrants were still being executed but was
"absolutely convinced" police had nabbed the key suspects in the drug
processing operation. Some of the suspects were at home, living on two
of the properties involved.