Manitoba is becoming a haven for drug traffickers, marijuana grow-ops and organized crime, one of the RCMP's top officials says.
Police made almost 1,100 drug seizures across the province last year, with many of the "hot spots" in more rural communities like Thompson, Portage la Prairie and The Pas.
That's about double the number from the previous year, RCMP assistant commissioner Bill Robinson said at a media conference in Winnipeg Friday.
Marijuana was the top drug seized, followed by cocaine, prescription and non-prescription drugs and ecstasy.
"You can grow 3,500 marijuana super trees, or super plants, in greenhouses in a rural location versus a small basement in the north end (Winnipeg), where are you going to go?" Robinson said.
More non-residents are being arrested, which means drug crackdowns in other provinces are likely driving criminals to find new locations in rural Manitoba to set up business, he said.
"We've got lots of land. We've got some very isolated locations with old farmyards where people can set up," Robinson said, adding the province's central location and highways makes it ideal for traffickers to move drugs across the country.
The RCMP has made several large seizures in the last few years, putting a dent in drug operations, Robinson said. Mounties are also working with young people to educate them about the dangers of drugs, he said.
One mother at the briefing explained the dangerous nature of the drug trade in the province.
Lori Davis said her son, Chad, was murdered for his involvement in cocaine dealing, where he became addicted to the money and the lifestyle.
"Life as we know it will never be the same. Drugs have taken away our beloved youngest son and left us with a heartache that will never go away," she said. The ashes of her son were in an urn on a nearby table.
Chad was 22 when he disappeared in February 2008. His body was found five months later wrapped in plastic and stuffed inside a barrel that was found in a river about 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
