Five people have been charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of distribution and cultivating illicit cannabis following last week’s discovery of about $35 million worth of cannabis east of Cobourg, Ont.

Citing the Northumberland County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, Global News reports that both cannabis plants and products were discovered during the raid last Friday.

The investigating team included the OPP’s Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team, Community Street Crime Units of the Northumberland and Peterborough detachments and the Central Region Emergency Response Team.

Northumberland News reports that Abdul Mian, 78, Asif Mian, 27, Gian Sun, 32, Chuang Zhang, 24, and Bao Feng 51, have all been charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of distribution and cultivating illicit cannabis. They are all scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 20.

The investigation involved members of the OPP’s Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (JFCET), Northumberland and Peterborough Community Street Crime Units and the Central Region Emergency Response Team.

As part of Project Woolwich, 100,000-plus illegal cannabis plants and 871 kg of illegal weed were seized last month, resulting in eight arrests and 213 charges. In June, search warrants executed in St. Catharines and Quinte West led to large amounts of illicit cannabis plants and dried cannabis being confiscated. Valued at more than $20 million, the raids resulted in 13 people being charged.

Although both medicinal and recreational cannabis are legal in Canada, there are certainly rules as to how crops can be cultivated.

As per the Cannabis Act, the maximum penalty for producing large amounts of weed beyond personal cultivation limits is as long as 14 years in jail. A federal licence is required to cultivate, process and sell cannabis for medical or non-medical purposes, notes information from the Government of Canada.