Innisfail RCMP say they are making progress in a series of major crimes that have rocked the town and region in recent weeks, but they add their resources are now being “pushed to the limit” to handle the increasing demands to maintain law and order.
“In conjunction with the recent homicide, the fatality with the hit and run of the longboarder from Penhold, our drug bust, and the (Pine Lake) shooting, the last two weeks has been one of the busiest times for general calls as well for our detachment,” said Innisfail RCMP corporal Jeff Hildebrandt, adding detachment officers are handling up to 150 calls a week since the May long weekend – twice as many as normal.
“I can't believe how busy it has been. Our resources have been stretched to the limit, absolutely to the limit,” he added. “We are on a path here, leading into the summer, which is typically when our frequency of calls increases and here we are barely into June and we have noticed a dramatic number of complaints just in the last two weeks.”
Hildebrandt said local Mounties, along with investigators from Calgary's Major Crimes Unit, are still aggressively probing the murder of 27-year-old Innisfailian Oleg Alex Cusnir, whose body was discovered May 15 in a burnt-out 2010 grey Ford F-350 pickup truck that was discovered on fire in a field, just off Rge. Rd. 273, about nine kilometres east of Innisfail.
As well, Mounties at the detachment are also probing the June 2 shooting of a male that occurred east of Pine Lake. The man survived the shooting but as of last week RCMP were not releasing any details about the incident, nor if anyone has been arrested or even pursued.
And on June 1, Innisfail RCMP responded to a fire 12 kilometres east of town, just north of Highway 587, and discovered what they believe is the largest marijuana grown operation ever seen in the region, an illegal enterprise of more than 300 plants, oil and marijuana that is estimated to have a value of about $1 million.
“The investigations are progressing on all fronts. Considerable effort has been put into these files,” said Hildebrandt.
He said Mounties and Red Deer County firefighters were called to the scene after neighbours spotted smoke billowing from the rural property.
Hildebrandt said when police and firefighters arrived one man was present at the scene, which included one home and several outbuildings.
He said a fire at one of the outbuildings was out by the time RCMP arrived, and that there was further damage to other parts of the property. Hildebrandt said a fire department investigator is examining the remains of the fire to determine its origin.
“The subsequent investigation revealed a significant grow operation for marijuana. There were many different plants in different stages of growth,” said Hildebrandt. “I have been here six years and there has never been a grow operation this big.”
He said police are not dismissing the possibility that the operation may have organized crime connections, adding there was a significant level of sophistication to the setup of the illegal grow enterprise.
“There was structures built to maintain it. There was power provided for it. There was water and circumstances available to grow that. Any grow operation that size is classified as significant,” said Hildebrandt, adding the bust could have an impact on the local illicit drug trade. “I would like to think it did or have some effect. However, grow operations have a timeline. It takes time for the plants to grow, for them to be cultivated, so exactly what kind of dent it makes would be hard to determine at this point.”
On top of the marijuana and marijuana-related products, police found three firearms, including an assault rifle, a loaded firearm and ammunition. Police seized all of the items and firearms.
As for arrests, suspects or persons of interest, Hildebrandt would only say, “It is still under investigation.”
