By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Wednesday 6th June 2018)– Over two million dollars worth of marijuana plantswere destroyed by fire following ajoint police and military operation last week in the communities of Mansion and Estridge Mountain.

According to information coming from the Police’s public relations department, the plants ranged from seedling to 11 feet in height and that the mature and mid-sized plants have a combined estimated street value of EC$2.5 million. Allowed to mature, the seedlings would have had an estimated street value of $1 million.

Police say the plants were uprooted on May 27 and 28 and destroyed on May 31 with over 20,000 marijuana plants in total uprooted in several plots.

Reportedly, the operation included Officers from the Special Services Unit (SSU), the Tabernacle Police Station, District ‘B’ Patrol, the Anti-Gang Unit and Soldiers from the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF).

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) with responsibility for the Operations Directorate, Terrance James, explained that many of the former sugar lands were being used for marijuana cultivation and that as a result, the police embarked on an eradication operation which has been going on for a period of time.

“This operation will continue. On our law books, the use, cultivation and distribution of marijuana is still illegal. It has not been decriminalised or legalised. So I would like to discourage persons from cultivating it, and encourage them to plant crops for food,” he has stated.

Reportedly, ACP James has given that such operations would continue.

The police department also indicated that similar exercises earlier in May resulted in close to 3,000 plants being uprooted in Stapleton and Brotherson.

The local authorities are claiming that “The evidence has shown that there is a direct correlation between the trafficking and cultivation of drugs and violent crimes.