Yesterday afternoon, Patrol officers found grow-op remnants in a vehicle.
At about 12:30pm yesterday, a Saanich Police School Liaison Officer was stopped at a light at Burnside road and Tillicum road in Saanich. All of a sudden, he smelled a strong smell of marihuana in the vicinity.
The officer’s attention was drawn to a blue Dodge Caravan directly in front of him. He then noted that the van was very low in the rear-end like it was over loaded.
Once the light turned green, the van was followed for about 500 meters and the fresh marihuana smell got stronger.
The van was stopped and approached and the smell of marihuana became overwhelming. When the officer looked in the rear of the van he found it loaded with full black garbage bags stacked to the roof.
The search of the vehicle revealed that the bags were full of dirt and the remnants of a marihuana grow-op that was being disposed. Investigators have leads as to where the original grow-op might be located and are continuing to investigate.
The driver and passenger in the van were arrested. The driver had almost $3000 cash on his person. Given that no marihuana was recovered from the vehicle, just the waste of a grow-op, charges are unlikely.
The BC Civil Forfeiture Office was contacted and consideration is being given to seizing the cash and the vehicle. Both are being held by police.
11-20996
