Woman convicted for role in medical marijuana farm heist
A Toronto woman who participated in a violent home invasion and robbery at a medical marijuana facility in Port Colborne will return to court in September to learn her fate.
Veneranda Kyere pleaded guilty Thursday in Ontario Court of Justice to a charge of robbery in connection with an incident at Muileboom Greenhouses on Pinecrest Road in 2016.
Defence lawyer John Bothwell requested a pre-sentence report be prepared against his 25-yearold client prior to sentencing. She is scheduled to return to court Sept. 7.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 19, 2016, court was told, the owners of the medical marijuana facility woke to the sound of someone banging on the front door.
After a male voice shouted, “RCMP, police raid,” the door was kicked open, assistant Crown attorney Andrew Brown told Judge Tory Colvin.
Eight men, most wearing masks and gloves, forced their way in to the residence and confronted the female homeowner at gun point.
The men demanded drugs, cash and guns.
The victim told the group there weren’t any guns in the home, and handed over more than $900.
The men threatened to cut off her husband’s finger if the couple refused to reveal the location of the firearms.
Several males then turned their attention to the adjoining greenhouse and began loading marijuana into a U-Haul truck.
During the heist, court heard, Kyere was observed driving up and down the road.
“She acted as the lookout during the robbery,” Brown explained.
When the defendant was stopped by police, she claimed she and her friend were headed to a house party in Welland and must have taken a wrong turn some-
where along the way. She denied any knowledge of the robbery.
Niagara Regional Police executed a search warrant at the greenhouse soon after the robbery and seized 3,390 marijuana plants, which was 2,877 more than Health Canada allows.
A second search in March 2017 netted police almost 3,000 plants, which was 1,600 more than allowed by licence.
Peter Muileboom, 63, was arrested that month and charged with unlawful production of a controlled substance.