As Halloween approaches, police on Vancouver Island are urging the public to use caution after officers seized more than 120,000 cannabis-laced edibles, including chocolate and candies with packaging that mimics recognizable treats.
RCMP shared photos showing illicit cannabis snacks with names such as "Reefers" for cannabis-infused peanut butter cups in yellow and orange packaging similar to Reese's Pieces, as well as "KushKat" chocolates in a red wrapper like a KitKat bar.
A statement from the Mounties say the contraband candies resemble professionally manufactured products, but investigators found they were produced in "highly unsanitary and heavily contaminated" modular trailers.
They say federal investigators seized the edibles while searching two dispensaries, in Port Alberni and Lantzville, and five homes linked to an organized crime group allegedly involved in distributing illicit drugs and contraband tobacco on Vancouver Island.
They say six suspects were also arrested as part of the operation earlier this month, and police are pursuing the recommendation of drug-related charges.
The police statement says some of the edibles had packaging with claims of medicinal properties and "dangerously high drug potency values."
"Given the highly contaminated and unsanitary conditions of the illicit drug production facility where these cannabis edibles were being produced, it is possible that the consumption of these products can lead to serious health risks," says Chief Supt. Stephen Lee with the RCMP federal policing program in the Pacific region.
"We urge members of the public to practice extreme caution … especially with Halloween being just around the corner."
