Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson - Members of the RCMP detachment in Fort Simpson have dismantled what could be the largest marijuana grow operation ever uncovered in the village.

On Nov. 22 RCMP officers seized 21 plants from a residence in Fort Simpson, said Const. Cindy Bowring, the lead investigator on the case. The plants were found in a room in a trailer located in the industrial area on the hill.

Const. Cindy Bowring stands with some of the marijuana plants that were seized by the RCMP from a grow-op in Fort Simpson on Nov. 22. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

A 48-year-old man has been charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and one count of production of a substance. He's scheduled to appear in Territorial Court in Fort Simpson on Jan. 22.

The RCMP were alerted to the grow-op by a concerned citizen, said Bowring.

"We can't act without the information of citizens in the village," she said.

On Thursday morning three members of the detachment and an auxiliary constable executed a search warrant on the trailer where they found the plants in a back room. The walls of the room were covered with Tyvek and a hydroponics lamp acted as a light source, Bowring said.

In addition to the plants, the RCMP seized 3.2 grams of marijuana from the premises. No street value has been assigned to the plants, said Bowring.

This is the biggest cultivation operation that the RCMP has broken up in Fort Simpson in the past five years and could be the largest ever, said Sgt. Cliff McKay.

Compared to crops found in other places in the Canada, however, the operation isn't that large, McKay said.

"He's not big time that's for sure," he said.

This isn't the first time the RCMP has uncovered a grow-operation in the village, but they aren't common, McKay said. In his two years with the detachment this is the first time an operation has been dismantled.

"For this community it's kind of unique," he said.

Cultivating marijuana takes a lot of work and experience, which limits the number of people who try it, said McKay.

"It takes a lot of effort to put something like this together," he said.

Based on his experience, McKay said that he's sure this grow-operation isn't alone. There are probably other people growing marijuana in the village on the same or slightly large scale, he said.

"It's the number one drug of choice for this community," McKay said referring to marijuana.

McKay said he recognizes that it takes a lot for a community member to come forward to report a suspected grow-operation but now that one person has stood up he hopes more might follow the lead.

"It's a community problem," said McKay, referring to marijuana.