Police in Delta, BC say cannabis edibles found in a Halloween bag lead them to shut down a large illicit cannabis production facility on November 20.
A complaint from a concerned parent who had found the edible in a bag of Halloween candy led to an investigation which they traced back to the production facility in North Delta. No information as to the company or brand of edible, if any, was made available.
Police say thousands of cannabis edibles were seized and the site has been dismantled. A man and a woman were arrested during the warrant execution. Police anticipate recommending a number of charges including distribution to minors, possession for purpose selling and prohibited synthetic production.
“Our officers were very concerned and launched an investigation, attempting to trace the source of the candy and locate the supplier,” says Inspector Guy Leeson, the officer in charge of the Delta Police Crime Reduction Unit.
“There was some great police work done on this investigation, and really good information sharing among officers,” says Inspector Leeson, resulting in the Crime Reduction Unit being able to shut down an illegal cannabis extraction lab.
Although it’s rare, and concerns around it are often exaggerated, cannabis edibles have been found in Halloween candy in Canada in the past.
A package of Halloween-themed cannabis gummies was allegedly found in a child’s pile of Halloween treats after trick-or-treating in the Nova Scotia in 2019.
In 2017 police in Victoria, BC were called after parents in Victoria’s James Bay neighbourhood found a package of Twisted Extracts “Black Cherry ZZZ Bomb” among their kid’s candy. Police said at the time that the person who is believed to have handed out the candy has limited vision and was not aware of what they had handed out.