Jail term for marijuana grow-op consultant

AActing as a ‘consultant’ at a largescale marijuana growing operation inside a Grimsby greenhouse proved costly for a St. Catharines resident. Peter Caponcini was sentenced to two years behind bars after he pleaded guilty Thursday in Superior Court of Justice in St. Catharines to charges of production of marijuana and possession of cocaine. The 52-year-old was arrested April 15, 2015, along with several other people after Niagara Regional Police executed a warrant at a Sobie Road property. More than 2,370 marijuana plants, worth an estimated $2.3 million, were seized from a greenhouse on the property. Court heard Caponcini was not actively involved in the marijuanagrowing operation, rather he was acting as a consultant to assist others with the process. “This was a very large operation,” said defence lawyer Ron Charlebois. “This was not his grow operation.” The other people arrested in connection with the grow-op have yet to answer to the charges in court. Caponcini was also sentenced on drug-related charges stemming from an April 2013 traffic stop in Port Colborne. In that case, a police officer conducted a routine traffic stop on Main Street in Port Colborne after Caponcini went through a red light. During the course of the investigation, police seized a large amount of cocaine and methamphetamine. “Cocaine and meth are a serious drug issue, especially in the Niagara region,” said Judge Harrison Arrell.