A Sarnia woman is among six people charged after the RCMP dismantled an illegal cannabis network with about 17,000 illegal plants.
The RCMP said the plants at three large scale grow sites in the Greater Toronto Area were destroyed.
It's being called a "complex illicit cannabis production and distribution network" that could have an annual production value of over $16 million.
Police said the sites were staffed by full-time, live-in workers that don't have the legal status to work and grow cannabis in Canada. The product was sent to the United States and Hong Kong, and there were further plans to expand distribution into Europe.
The RCMP allege millions of dollars in profits were laundered through the Canadian banking system by a sophisticated identity fraud scheme.
The suspects applied for Health Canada authorizations to produce medicinal cannabis using the identity of individuals who were not aware of the applications.
Police said the criminal network was also linked to the operation of two other sites in Ontario which were dismantled by the OPP and the Toronto Police Service.
A 61-year-old Sarnia woman is charged with identity theft, using a forged document, possession of property/proceeds of crime, conspiracy to impersonate for advantage, and conspiracy to use a forged document.
Other charges laid against five Toronto residents include unlawful cultivation of cannabis, and conspiracy to cultivate, sell and export cannabis.
Their first court appearances are scheduled for May 7 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto.
