Estevan Mercury 20190417

Page 1

SPRING CAR CARE

STRIPPERS TOURNAMENT

Tips for your vehicle A9-10

Five days of great hockey A11

Issue 51

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

www.estevanmercury.ca

Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240

Cannabis grow op leads to charges An Estevan man has been charged for drug and firearm offences following a drug bust in the city last week. The Estevan Police Service’s (EPS) Drug/Intelligence Unit conducted an investigation on a male and female allegedly involved in the illicit cultivation of cannabis. On Friday afternoon at approximately 1 p.m., members from the unit, along with officers from the patrol section, executed a search warrant at a residence located in northeast Estevan. The male and female were not inside the residence, but were arrested shortly thereafter. One was arrested at the residence, and the other was arrested elsewhere. The EPS says the search warrant was executed under the newly reformed Cannabis Act. Officers discovered a cannabis grow operation within the residence. Over 100 cannabis plants were seized along with equipment used for the grow operation. Ladouceur said they’re still calculating the quantity of drugs that were seized, because there were so many plants. “Obviously we’re still in the early stages of that, just quantifying the exact amounts,” said Ladouceur. “The other thing that’s hard to establish is because they’re plants, looking at what the street value would be is a little more difficult. It takes a little more time obviously for us to determine that based on the fact that they’re not broken down into sellable product yet.” The operation included a climate controlled environment, along with high intensity lighting, a carbon dioxide regulator and an air filtration and ventilation system. Other equipment to produce cannabis derivatives, such as shatter, was also seized. Officers also discovered a loaded restricted firearm within the residence. It was also determined nobody within the residence was authorized to possess a firearm,

and the firearm was stored in an unsafe manner. Jesse Wyatt Moen, a 32-year-old Estevan man, was charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling, unlawfully cultivating cannabis from a seed or plant material he knew was illicit, and unlawfully cultivating more than four cannabis plants in a dwelling or house at one time, all under the Cannabis Act. He has also been charged with unlawfully possessing a restricted firearm, possessing a restricted firearm with readily available ammunition, and unlawfully storing a firearm in a careless manner under the Criminal Code. The female was released without charges. “When we find drugs in a residence, we have to establish who the drugs actually belong to. So generally if they’re in a residence, and there’s more than two or three people who reside in that residence, we want to make sure that they didn’t have knowledge, or they didn’t have involvement in that act itself.” Ladouceur pointed out that this was the first cannabis grow op bust by police since cannabis possession became legal last October. “We see a lot on Facebook about people’s comments that it’s legal now and so forth, and they’re absolutely correct. Cannabis is legal now, if you’re purchasing it from an authorized distributor, or to grow. Either you have the proper licensing to grow, or the law says four plants, not 40 or 400.” One of the primary objectives of the government with legalization was to counteract illegal drug activity and sales, he said. “Growing marijuana potentially for sale, or more than the allotted amount under law, is still an offence,” said Ladouceur. Moen appeared in front of the justice of the peace April 13. He was released from custody on several conditions and is scheduled to appear in Estevan Provincial Court on June 17.

A cannabis grow op was the subject of a drug bust in Estevan last week. Photo submitted

Ready for tea Danita Bjorndalen and her granddaughter Maci-Layne Davenport were among the people excited to be at the trefoil tea organized by the Estevan Guiding groups on Saturday afternoon at Trinity Lutheran Church. Members of the Sparks, Brownies, Girl Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers served snacks and refreshments to those in attendance.

Unified collaborative approach to combating drug use within youth By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

“Do I really understand what I’m getting into?” That’s the question Estevan law enforcement, educational and social agencies encourage school students to think about when it comes to drugs. And to help to battle the problem in the community the group started delivering drug awareness presentations to all schools of Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division and South East Cornerstone Public School Division. Working together, such organizations as the Estevan Police Service (EPS), RCMP, two school division boards, addiction and probation services and others try to make

sure that kids have correct and current information about drug regulations and activity. The first two presentations were delivered to St. Mary’s School and Sacred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur last week. Curriculum co-ordinator with Holy Family Lynn Colquhoun talked to Grade 7 and 8 students at Sacred Heart about why teenagers tend to make more risky decisions and about effects drugs and alcohol have on their brain. “Your brain is still developing… (it) will continue to grow until the age of 25… As a result of this development, physical growth, you are going to experience some things as a teenager that I try not to experience as an adult,

Curriculum co-ordinator with Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division Lynn Colquhoun encouraged students to make responsible choices. … but you won’t be able to control it… Such as difficulty holding back or controlling emotions... A preference for high-excitement and low-effort activities… Poor planning and judgment, rarely thinking

of negative consequences … More risky, impulsive behaviors, including experimenting with drugs and alcohol, texting while driving, being a passenger with a high driver and A2 » DRUGS

LOOKS SHARP FROM EVERY ANGLE. AVAILABLE 360-DEGREE CAMERA WITH SPLIT-VIEW DISPLAY* GET UP TO

5,500 + 750

$

^

IN REBATES

$

Senchuk

TECHNOLOGY BONUS

ON MOST NEW 2019 F-150 MODELS

F-150 FIND OUT MORE AT FINDYOURFORD.CA.

Ford Sales Ltd.

118 8S Souris i A Ave. N N., E Estevan t 306-634-3696 www.senchuk.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Estevan Mercury 20190417 by Estevan Mercury - Issuu