RCMP logo
An illegal cannabis growing site has been shutdown by the RCMP.
On Thursday, March 27th, six people were charged after nearly 17,000 cannabis plants were discovered across three large-scale illegal grow sites in Milton. Every plant has since been destroyed.
This investigation actually began in 2022 with the OPP, who then handed the case off to the Mounties.
It’s believed the illicit cannabis network stretches all the way to Hong Kong, with plans to distribute it in Europe. It was responsible for as much as $16 million in annual production. All three sites were staffed with full-time, live-in workers who did not have legal status to grow cannabis in Canada.
This network also connections to two other illicit cannabis production sites in Ontario that were dismantled by the OPP and the Toronto Police Service.
Suspects arrested reportedly laundered money under an identity fraud scheme, and had even applied to produce medicinal cannabis using the identity of people who were not aware of the applications.
Six people are facing almost 50 charges in connection with this investigation:
- 45-year-old Shao Bo ‘Barry’ Xie of Toronto
- 42-year-old Feng Gao of Toronto
- 34-year-old Shan ‘Sam’ Gao of Toronto
- 26-year-old Xu Han of Toronto
- 30-year-old Fang Han of Toronto
- 61-year-old Zdena ‘Denise’ Meskoof Sarnia
They were released on an undertaking.
Their first court appearance is scheduled for May 7th in Toronto.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at:
- News1013@LocalRadio.ca (Milton)
- News1015@LocalRadio.ca (Orangeville)
- News92@LocalRadio.ca (South Simcoe)
If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
*Correction: Grow site was near Milton, within the GTA (Corrected on Monday, March 31st at 10:25 a.m.)
