Police have seized 75,000 marijuana plants in the Cariboo since a dedicated task force was established six months ago, but no one has yet gone before the courts.
Federal RCMP spokesperson Const. Michael McLaughlin said police have recommended charges against 36 people, who have all been released on promises to appear, but the Crown has yet to approve charges against any of them.
"When you're dealing with sophisticated investigations, this is something that is standard procedure for us," McLaughlin added March 8 at a press conference in Prince George.
"When you're talking about the scale of these operations, a lot of investigators have to gather a lot of evidence, and we've got to meet that beyond-reasonable-doubt proof in court. So you know we're going to make darn sure we have very solid charges."
The Cariboo Regional Integrated Marijuana Enforcement (CRIME) Task Force was launched in September 2010 after a public outcry about increased numbers of suspected pot growers and traffickers in the area.
"After the six-month mark, we can definitively say the people of the Cariboo are absolutely right. There is a problem, we are investigating and we're going to continue to do so," said McLaughlin, who urged the public to continue reporting suspicious activity.
RCMP North District commander Barry Clark said the "vast majority" of people arrested in connection with the grow-ops hail from the Lower Mainland. And, more alarmingly, "a large percentage of these accused are being investigated for potential ties to Asian-based and other organized crime groups."
He added growers are attracted to the Cariboo by its sparse population and relatively cheap land, on which they place "purpose-built" grow structures and leave behind "toxic ponds" filled with herbicides, diesel fuel and other chemicals used in their operations.
CRIME, staffed by between 15 and 25 dedicated RCMP officers, is funded by an arrangement between municipalities from 100 Mile House to Prince George and the federal and provincial governments.
Meanwhile, criminologist Darryl Plecas, who also spoke at the press conference, said his statistics show the grow-ops taken down by CRIME had an average of 1,100 plants (the largest, near Williams Lake, had 8,600) and could be expected to produce annual crops valued at $500,000.
Joe Fries is a Prince George Free Press writer.