Sundre RCMP are asking residents and visitors alike to exercise caution if and when they discover suspicious or illegal activities occurring on rural properties or Crown land in the district.
In response to the bust of a marijuana grow operation uncovered on public Crown land northwest of Sundre on June 29, police say people should not be approaching or entering suspicious buildings or other such properties.
Marijuana grow operations or methamphetamine labs may have been set up in those places, said Sundre RCMP Cpl. Ryan Hodge.
“We don't want them to approach because of the danger of the chemicals used,” said Hodge. “As well, some grow operations and clandestine labs are known to have booby traps that people use so people can't access their operations or labs.”
Booby traps seen by police at labs and grow-ops have included trip lines hooked up to firearms, as well as animals such as dogs, he said.
“And you also don't know what kind of people you are dealing with,” he said. “They can be very hostile if they feel they are going to be caught by police and facing lengthy jail times. You don't know how they might behave.”
RCMP are asking the public to contact police if they see suspicious people or activities in the area's provincial forests and other public lands.
“If they can make a few notes of what they see and where they are, that's great. And if they have GSP location that's also great, or photographs if that doesn't put them in harm's way.” he said.
Some of the things people should be on the lookout for include discarded chemical bottles or propane bottles, generators, electrical wiring that is out of place, or structures that are being built on Crown land that shouldn't be there, he said.
Police believe the grow-ops and methamphetamine labs are being purposely located on Crown land by the perpetrators, he said
“Part of the reason they are using Crown land is there is less expense to them if they are caught,” he said. “They won't have a house seized or property seized. Basically the equipment and the structure and the drugs of course are all that they are going to lose.
“When it comes to the meth labs, they don't want to put the chemicals they use in their own homes or on their own property, so they will come out and use Crown land because they can just dump the chemical and leave.”
Anyone spotting suspicious activities or buildings is asked to call Crimes Stoppers or the local RCMP detachment.
A 50-year-old Caroline man has been arrested and charged in connection with the grow operation uncovered on June 29.
