Seized marijuana and equipment is shown in this undated handout photo. A Canadian Armed Forces member is facing two charges after military police uncovered what they say is an illegal marijuana-oil extraction lab, which law-enforcement officials in other jurisdictions have linked to home fires and even explosions.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Canadian Armed Forces
November 22, 2019 - 11:30 AM
OTTAWA - A Canadian Armed Forces member is facing two charges after military police uncovered what they say is an illegal marijuana-oil extraction lab that have been linked to home fires and even explosions.
Master Cpl. Joshua Alexander of the 407 Maritime Patrol Squadron in Comox, B.C., is charged with one count of altering the chemical or physical properties of cannabis using an organic solvent, and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
The charges come after military police searched Alexander's house in July in relation to another investigation.
Police say once inside, they found two grams of magic mushrooms, nearly 1.5 kilograms of marijuana as well as butane and propane canisters and other equipment typically used to extract cannabis oil.
The house was sealed and Alexander charged after investigators got another search warrant for the property.
Authorities in Canada and the United States have raised red flags about the dangers of trying to extract marijuana oil at home following several fires and explosions that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says have killed at least 19 people in California alone since 2014.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2019.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019