Three men and two women from Calgary have been charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar grow operation discovered in Olds on Feb. 12.
Police seized $40,000 in cash deemed proceeds of crime; and 2,137 marijuana plans with a street value of $2.5 million.
Xiang Wu, 45, Huy Kham Lanh, 29, Kham Tu Lanh, 58, Juan Yant, 42, and Xiurong Ye, 43, have been released from custody to appear in Didsbury provincial court on March 23. Yant and Ye are the two women.
All stand charged with possession of marijuana in an amount greater than three kg for the purpose of trafficking under the controlled substances act; unlawful production of a controlled substance; and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000.
RCMP Olds and Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) say they uncovered the massive grow operation in Olds after suspicious activity was reported to police.
The home was an authorized medicinal grow-op site, but police say the terms and conditions of the licence were violated as the number of plants grossly exceeded the number permitted.
Alberta Health inspectors have deemed the home uninhabitable.
To report suspicious activity or a suspected marijuana grow operation in your community, police ask that you contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. For more information about how to spot a marijuana grow operation check www.alert-ab.ca/growops.