Five men have been charged in relation to a drug scheme that involved the transportation of packaged marijuana on a commercial bus line from Abbotsford to Calgary.
Const. Ian MacDonald said the Abbotsford Police Department's bike squad learned of the operation in May of this year and began working with Calgary Police Services' drug squad.
The two detachments discovered that dried marijuana was being sent from Abbotsford in small vacuum-sealed packages in which the odour was disguised using various methods, about which MacDonald would not elaborate. It was then sold and distributed in Calgary.
The packages did not appear to be out of the ordinary, he said.
"You wouldn't know if it was a sweater or Mr. Potato Head in them," he said.
Last Friday, police in both cities executed simultaneous search warrants. In Abbotsford, a marijuana grow-op and nine pounds of dried pot were found in a home in the 33700 block of Rockland Avenue – across from an elementary school.
A 47-year-old man was arrested and faces charges of production, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and trafficking. He cannot be named until charges are sworn.
In Calgary, a home in the 3800 block of 32 Avenue SW turned up various amounts of marijuana, cannabis resin and psilocybin (magic mushrooms).
Three 20-year-old men – one of whom is related to the Abbotsford man – were arrested at the scene. Dustin Patrick Munro, Dylan Vanysseldyk and Matthew Kelton were all charged with several drug-related offences.
A 16-year-old boy was also arrested and charged, but cannot be named due to provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
MacDonald said none of the men has a prior criminal record or gang affiliations.
"This looks like it was just a scheme to make money."