B.C. to sell site of record grow-op seizure

The site of the largest marijuana grow-op ever seized under B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Act is being put up for sale.

Solicitor General John van Dongen said the grow-op in Likely, B.C., in the province's central Interior, was big enough to supply one marijuana cigarette a day to every person in B.C.

The operation was busted in November 2006 by Williams Lake RCMP. Inside the house, police found every room equipped with high-powered lights connected by unapproved wiring and about 5,600 marijuana plants.

But the grow-op was capable of producing much more, police realized — up to 22,000 plants a year, van Dongen said they estimated.

"It was really a marijuana factory," said van Dongen.

Two people were convicted on drug charges, and the province used its Civil Forfeiture Act to make the case the property had been used for illegal activity. It seized the assets and now plans to sell them.

"All of the equipment will be removed, but ... the property will be sold as is, with the remediation having to be done by the purchaser," said van Dongen.

The seized property includes a house, two outbuildings and about one hectare of land, said van Dongen.

Buildings once used as illegal grow-ops are often unsuitable for human habitation because of extensive mould and dangerous electrical wiring.

The property is just the latest to be seized under the Civil Forfeiture Act in the two years it's been on the books. Seizures have so far raised about $4 million, which the government said will be used to fight crime.