The RCMP's annual sweep to uncover grow ops in the area around Pemberton has uncovered 25 sites with more than 11,949 plants.
The efforts to find and destroy outdoor marijuana grow operations in the region took place over three weeks this year, from Aug. 23 to Sept. 6.
The outdoor sites were discovered on Crown land with between 50 and just over 1,000 plants in each.
The yield varies depending on species, the soil, sun exposure, water and the level of care, but websites suggest that a marijuana plant grown outdoors can yield between four ounces to just over a pound.
"A great deal of time, effort and money went into engineering and setting up these sites," said Superintendent Derek Simmonds of the RCMP Federal Serious Organized Crime department.
"Dismantling the sites and seizing the marijuana will impact the groups who intend to profit from these illegal grow operations. The expected profit from these plants will no longer be available to support additional criminal activities."
Simmonds added that the plants were not intended for personal use, but were intended for the purposes of drug trafficking.
The search for outdoor grow operations is an annual project for RCMP. In the first weekend, plants were found on slopes in the In-SHUCK-ch area, Soo River and D'Arcy.
No arrests were made, but in one of the larger fields police found sleeping areas, living areas, equipment and food to support a crew of six to eight people for weeks. As well, a dedicated drying room tent was set up with three generators and 200 liters of fuel, plus packaging equipment. The police say it appeared that harvesting had just begun when police located the operations.
The camp had no road access, just a trail leading to it from a logging area. That operation would have resulted in several hundred pounds of dried, packaged marijuana.
The RCMP is continuing to investigate.
