Cops seize marijuana meant for gangsters
Mounties say 29 kilograms of pot seized during bust at Kelowna grow-op was to be sold to Hells Angels members
A tip from police in Nova Scotia has led to a massive drug bust in Kelowna.
Kelowna Mounties revealed Wednesday morning they busted a marijuana grow-op on Paret Road on Nov. 1, seizing 28 kilograms of packaged marijuana.
Police also seized 1.2 kg of marijuana in another raid the next day and located 94 mature cannabis plants ready for harvesting in another shop on the property.
Police said they received a tip on Oct. 28 from the Nova Scotia Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit that a significant quantity of marijuana was believed to be stored and ready for purchase at that location.
Although the location was a licensed and legal marijuana grow-op, the pot was allegedly being harvested and sold to members of the Hells Angels, police said in a news release.
The Nova Scotia officers said they had been involved in a nine-month investigation that led to the arrest of and charges against two Hells Angels gang members in Nova Scotia and Ontario.
Sixty-one-year-old Paul Francis Monahan of Halifax was arrested in Jeddore, N.S.
Monahan is a “hang-around” member of the New Brunswick Nomad Hells Angels chapter, the CFSEU said in a news release.
Forty-eight-year-old Mark David Heickert of Orillia, Ont., was arrested at a residence in Orillia.
Heickert is a full-patch member of the Oshawa Hells Angels chapter.
Search warrants were executed at homes in Ostrea Lake, N.S., Orillia, Ont., and at the Hells Angels clubhouse in Musquodoboit Harbour, N.S.
From the homes, police seized two kg of cocaine, a sawed-off shotgun, a large quantity of cash, Outlaw Motorcycle Gang paraphernalia, multiple cellphones and electronics.
From the clubhouse, police seized a small quantity of hash and marijuana, a number of unidentified pills, Outlaw Motorcycle Gang paraphernalia, multiple cellphones, electronics and cash.
Monahan has been charged with: 15 counts of trafficking of a controlled substance; possession of proceeds of crime; four counts of conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance (cocaine); conspiracy to possess proceeds of crime; and possession for the purpose of trafficking (methamphetamine).
Heickert has been charged with four counts of conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance (cocaine) and conspiracy to possess proceeds of crime.
“This joint investigation is a true example of how the sharing of information and working closely with other police agencies throughout Canada can combat crime,” said Sgt. Alex Lynch of the Kelowna RCMP. “The RCMP will continue to fight organized crime groups by identifying their suppliers, seizing any drugs from being distributed and ultimately disrupting their illegal operations.”
Nova Scotia police have not revealed how their investigation led to the discovery of the Kelowna grow-op.