Two Sturgeon County residents are facing child endangerment and drug charges after an RCMP raid on a rural property northeast of Gibbons, Alta.
A search of a rural property netted more than 400 marijuana plants and more than two kilograms of marijuana packaged for sale, plus cultivation equipment and some foreign currency, St. Albert RCMP said in a news release Friday.
A man and a woman were arrested at the location. Two preschool-aged children were also there.
“The quantity of drugs seized at this property is very concerning.” Insp. Ken Foster said in a statement. Seventeen RCMP officers were helped in the operation by Edmonton city police air services and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team.
“This was a marijuana grow operation that was for criminal trafficking purposes, not for personal use, and if these drugs were not seized, they would have impacted the wellbeing of our residents and our children in Morinville, Sturgeon County, St. Albert and throughout the Edmonton region,” Foster said.
A 36-year-old man and 28-year-old woman have both been charged with production of a substance contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and possession for the purpose of trafficking. They are also charged with child endangerment under the Drug Endangered Child Act.
Names of the accused were not released to protect the children‘s privacy. The man and woman are scheduled to appear in court in St. Albert next week.