FREDERIC SERRE
The 1019 Report

A massive joint police operation involving the RCMP and Sûreté du Québec in the region two weeks ago that featured helicopters, drones, all-terrain vehicles and trucks aimed at destroying illegal marijuana fields produced mixed results, leaving red-faced investigators to admit that they had the wrong intel in at least one of the raids, which left the owner of the property furious with police.

The first raid took place early Sept. 19, as more than a dozen RCMP and SQ vehicles descended on a residence on Montée St. Robert in St. Lazare. Officers arrived with a warrant to carry out a site inspection and destroy a suspected cannabis plantation. Guided by a helicopter, the team of specialists left the site empty-handed, as no cannabis plants were found. As officers left the property, RCMP officials admitted that they had received erroneous information.

The convoy then drove to a site on Highway 340 in St. Polycarpe, where, for several hours, they seized and destroyed more than 800 illegal marijuana plants. No arrests were announced by the RCMP, while SQ spokesman Louis-Philippe Ruel said that the investigation is continuing.

Ruel said the raids were part of a campaign launched last June by the RCMP and the SQ throughout the province that has resulted in the seizure of several thousands of illegal cannabis plants.