Gatineau police ‘busy’ dismantling illegal pot networks

Gatineau police say they have a team of detectives “busy” tracking and taking down illegal cannabis distribution networks in the city with a Quebec-funded project that resulted in a 26-year-old man’s arrest earlier this month.

Police raided his home on Boulevard des Hautes-Plaines in Hull March 6 and seized 1.3 kg of cannabis, 23.5 g of hash, 18.2 grams of wax, 5 g of cocaine, a Ford Escape worth $8,000, cash and a safe.

The weeks-long investigation began with a tip from the public to police who are enforcing new cannabis laws.

Investigators recommended prosecutors charge the man with possession, distribution and production under the Cannabis Act.

He was released on a promise to appear court

Gatineau police report that they’re taking part in a project coordinated by Quebec’s ministry of public safety and funded by provincial coffers.

“The purpose of this project is to ensure compliance with the tax system and to restore order in the commercial activities of cannabis by decreasing unfair competition and combating the illicit marketing of cannabis in parallel markets,” police said in a release.

Since Jan. 13, the force has mobilized “a team of investigators who are busy detecting and dismantling illegal networks for the supply and distribution of cannabis products in the Gatineau area.”

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