RCMP arrested a Squamish man and seized 1,500 pot plants from a barn in Upper Squamish on Dec. 20, police have announced.
The barn had been converted into a cannabis and butane honey oil (BHO) operation.
BHO, also known as hash oil, is a marijuana extract that when heated with a butane torch leaves a resin that contains a high concentration of THC.
The BHO production was a “dangerous, large organic solvent operation with high-end equipment,” according to an RCMP news release sent out Saturday evening.
The alteration of cannabis with organic solvents such as butane is illegal under the new Cannabis Control and Licencing Act.
“There are numerous safety hazards associated with electrical theft and cannabis production, notably the risks associated with BHO operations due to the volatility of butane,” said Sgt. Jeff Shore of the Sea to Sky General Investigations Section. “Despite the legalization of cannabis, the RCMP will continue criminal enforcement efforts when it comes to youth, public safety, and organized crime.”
Squamish RCMP and the Sea to Sky General Investigation Section executed their search warrant of the Squamish Valley barn in relation to illicit cannabis cultivation – which applies to those growing more than four plants under current legalization, police said. The Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team, E Division Cannabis Training Co-ordinators, and B.C. Hydro assisted with the search.
B.C. Hydro officials were at the search and were able to identify “a full electrical diversion specifically designed to steal electricity to power the large-scale operation,” according to the RCMP release.
The arrested local man was later released pending further investigation.
Police say they are continuing to investigate in order to identify anyone else involved in the illegal operation.
Though he doesn’t know this particular operation, Ian Dawkins, acting president of the Cannabis Commerce Association of Canada, said he is skeptical of the police’s take on how dangerous the activity was.
“Fundamentally, what they are doing – especially when the RCMP talk about them having a professional-grade machine – if they have a professional grade [BHO] machine then it is probably pretty safe if it is being used correctly,” he said.
“Those technologies are employed at licensed producers today.”
It is a technology that is also used to create industrial-scale decaffeinated coffee and some essential oils, according to Dawkins.
“As a technology, it is nothing scary.”
Dawkins also said that the vast majority of the B.C. cannabis market is being served by operations such as this one in the Squamish Valley because legalization has been extremely slow and cumbersome.
“How much of the legal market is being served by the four legal stores that we have in the province and by the online website? Until they actually address the access side of this, the illegal market is going to continue to adapt and thrive,” he said. “Even an operation of that size and sophistication is a literal drop in the bucket.”
Dawkins also points a finger back at the RCMP, saying the background checks for licensing applications is taking too long.
“If the RCMP is so concerned about the illicit market, why aren’t they prioritizing [legitimate]... businesses?” he said. “I am not saying the RCMP is the primary cause of all this, but they do have a role to play, just as Health Canada has a role to play.”
