On 19 November 2020, Merritt RCMP executed a Cannabis Act search warrant on a rural property in the Merritt area.[1][2] Inside a large commercial building, officers found about 800 cannabis plants at various stages of growth, with growing equipment.[1][2] Sixteen people were inside the building, all described as having ties to the Lower Mainland.[1][2]
Police seized the plants and equipment, arrested the 16 people at the scene and then released them, with charges pending.[1][2] Merritt RCMP Cpl. Derrick Francis said the number of plants would equate to one cannabis cigarette for every person living in Kelowna, three times a year, calling the amount kept off the streets immeasurable.[1][2] Both outlets describe the site as a large commercial building holding plants at various stages of growth rather than an open field.[1][2] The reports stress that all 16 people found inside had ties to the Lower Mainland.[1][2] The Merritt property sits in the British Columbia Interior between Hope and Kelowna.[2]
