Sarnia police and the Ontario Provincial Police drug enforcement unit shut down a grow operation in an industrial building in the city’s south end on Tuesday, finding marijuana with a street value of $3.4 million.[1] Officers found about 2,800 plants, from seedlings to full-grown plants a metre tall, along with 13.6 kg of dried marijuana ready for sale.[1] They also recovered lights, irrigation equipment and air exchangers valued at $75,000 plus an undisclosed amount of cash, in what police called one of the largest drug finds in Sarnia police history.[1]

The weeks-long investigation began with a Crime Stoppers tip.[1] Police would not name the building’s owners or its exact location, saying only that it was not derelict and stood on the fringe of Sarnia’s Chemical Valley industrial area.[1] Douglas Bingham, 35, and Sarah Shipley, 23, both of Sarnia, were charged with production of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and were due in Sarnia court the next day.[1]

In connection with the bust, officers also executed search warrants that Tuesday at two residences just outside Sarnia, finding a small amount of drugs and other evidence tied to the growing operation.[1] No arrests were made at the houses, and police would not elaborate.[1] Police said there was no indication the operation had cross-border connections.[1]