RCMP bust multi-million dollar illegal cannabis mail order operation in B.C.
Three people were arrested in Surrey and White Rock in a B.C. RCMP investigation into a multi-million dollar illegal online mail order cannabis operation.
Police searched two locations on Nov. 30, where they seized more than $200,000 in cash, gold bars, cryptocurrency and luxury vehicles, according to a B.C. RCMP news release issued today, Dec. 13.
The investigation began more than three years ago when the Federal Serious and Organized Crime unit started looking into an online cannabis business. Police say the business was distributing marijuana through the mail.
The business, which wasn't named in the news release, laundered around $14 million in "proceeds of crime" through various companies and bank accounts, RCMP said. Police followed the money to real estate, high-end vehicle and other "luxury goods" purchases.
"The successful suppression of this criminal organization’s activities demonstrates the B.C. RCMP Financial Integrity program’s effectiveness in combatting money laundering offences, that can be extremely challenging to investigate due to their high degree of complexity," Insp. David Gray, officer in charge for the organized crime unit's Financial Integrity Unit, said in the news release.
Five B.C. RCMP teams, along with Surrey RCMP officers, executed the two search warrants last month. RCMP said the main commercial drug site was in a rental home several blocks from an elementary school.
Three people were arrested for money laundering and drug offences.
When police discovered what they call a commercial scale illegal cannabis operation, police seized drugs and several firearms. Officers seized packaging, promotional material, business documentation, shipping material and computers from the commercial site.
In one of the searches, police also seized a McLaren supercar, a custom hot rod and motorcycles.
"Money laundering is a serious crime that affects the safety and security of Canadians, as well as the international community. It is a process used to disguise the source of money, or assets that come from illegal means, and it is often linked to organized crime, and in certain cases also finance terrorism," the news release reads.
Police did not name the three people who were arrested, nor did they identify any organized crime groups involved in the operation.
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