RCMP shut down $7.5 million marijuana grow op

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The RCMP are calling the pot bust on Pasqua First Nation the biggest ever in Saskatchewan.

On Aug. 21, RCMP seized 7,592 marijuana plants that were growing on a farm on the First Nation, about 20 kilometres west of Fort Qu'Appelle. The RCMP believe the plants seized have a street value of around $7.5 million.

Seven men, ranging in age from 18 to 57, were arrested and charged in connection with the grow op.Those charged include Pasqua First Nation residents Joseph Agecoutay, Robert Agecoutay and Lawrence Agecoutay. Also charged were Ontario residents Chester Girard and Brian McConnell, Luke Zigovitz from Indiana and Jack Northwood of no fixed address.

According to Colleen Schmidt, the communications officer for the Saskatchewan Courts, McConnell had the charges against him stayed.

Joseph and Robert Agecoutay have been remanded into custody and have been scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 20 for their bail hearings. Giraud was scheduled to return to court for his bail hearing on Sept. 14, after Sage press time.

Zigovitz, who was granted bail, will be in court again on Sept. 27, while Lawrence Agecoutay will have his bail hearing on the same day. Schmidt said Lawrence Agecoutay has been remanded in custody until that time.

Northwood has been released on conditions, and is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 26.

Vice-chief Lawrence Joseph of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) said that if First Nations such as Pasqua had tribal police, this kind of operation wouldn't exist.

"If we had the tribal police on reserve to look after the community, these kinds of operations would be dead," said Joseph. "It just wouldn't happen."

Joseph said the FSIN is proposing to work with First Nations across Saskatchewan to collectively put together a First Nations tribal police unit that would be operated, controlled and directed by First Nation people.

"The tribal police would be on reserve to be proactive and preventative officers. They would be on reserve to look after the community, not only when trouble happens, but to work with the community."

Joseph talked about the Community Tribe Agreement (CTA), in which the RCMP promise to have police in the community 80 per cent of the time. That promise, he said, isn't being kept.

"They don't have enough policing activity on the reserve and when there isn't any police visibility things could happen, and what happened is a clear example of that," said Joseph.

"The number of police is lacking because they spend a lot of time off reserve in court and writing reports and they don't spend enough time patrolling these reserves and being a part of the community."

According to Joseph, Pasqua First Nation chief and council met with community members and discussed the measures that should be taken in response to the marijuana operation. They also talked about how to address the problem of alcohol and drugs on the reserve.

Joseph said band members who are involved in drug activity should have their employment taken away and people who are on social assistance should have that taken away. But the consequences wouldn't stop there.

"If they have been given two warnings and a chance to stop the illegal activity they could be banished from the community, which is an age old practice of First Nation communities," he said.