Police Find Artillery Range Gone to Pot
MONTREAL (Reuters) - Canadian military police have seized close to 1,000 marijuana plants that were brazenly growing on an artillery range, an army spokesman said on Friday.
The plants, whose street value is estimated at C$1 million ($740,000), were found on the National Defense base at Nicolet, Quebec, used for artillery tests.
The base is a 45-square-kilometer (17-square-mile) compound complete with 2.5-meter (8-foot) fences, barbed wire and "danger, keep out" signs.
"It's very safe for us, but it could be a very dangerous place for a passerby," Capt. Steve Lebel said.
A week long search of the base ended on Thursday and led to the discovery of 983 pot plants. No one has yet been arrested, but military police are continuing their investigation, Lebel said.
Pot plantations, once hidden deep in the Canadian wilderness, have spread over the last decade to semi-rural and even urban areas.
Police estimate a significant portion of the cannabis is exported to the neighboring United States, where its price easily doubles once it crosses the border.