Mounties seize tens of thousands of illicit cannabis edibles packaged like candy in B.C.

Federal investigators have arrested six people and seized tens of thousands of illicit cannabis edibles disguised as popular brand-name candies after raiding a pair of unlicensed dispensaries in British Columbia.

Mounties allege the suspects were part of an organized crime group that was producing and distributing cannabis and other illicit drugs across the province.

Police were initially investigating the sale of contraband tobacco when they stumbled upon the alleged drug distribution network, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Arash Seyed told reporters at a news conference Tuesday.

Earlier this month, officers with the RCMP's Pacific Region Federal Policing division executed search warrants at two unsanctioned cannabis dispensaries and five residential properties on Vancouver Island.

The RCMP identified the dispensaries as the Green Coast Dispensary in Port Alberni and the Coastal Storm Dispensary in Lantzville.

Investigators say a suspected stash site in Port Alberni and a storage and production facility adjacent to the Coastal Storm Dispensary were also searched. "This included two modular trailers where cannabis edibles were being produced, stored, and distributed," the RCMP said in a news release.

Authorities released photos of the seized cannabis products in packaging resembling common treats like Oreo cookies, Rice Krispies Treats, Kit Kat chocolate bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

More than 120,000 deceptively packaged cannabis edibles were seized by investigators, along with more than 225 kilograms of cannabis flower and several kilograms of processed cannabis products, according to the release.

Investigators do not know how many of the illicit edibles were already manufactured and sold through the alleged distribution ring.

"We don't know how many are already out there," Seyed said. "We didn't really expect to find these ones. This was actually a contraband tobacco investigation initially, which led to these facilities.""

'Serious health risks'

Police conducting the searches also uncovered more than three kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms, thousands of psilocybin capsules and hundreds of psilocybin edibles. Five vehicles, a pair of ATMs, more than $400,000 in cash, a shotgun and approximately 82,000 packs of contraband cigarettes were also seized, according to police.

"Although the contraband cannabis-laced candy bars and chips resembled professionally manufactured, packaged, and quality-controlled products, they were discovered to have been produced in the highly unsanitary, and heavily contaminated modular trailers," the news release said.

"A preliminary assessment of the edibles also indicates that they had been treated with unknown amounts of THC, and likely cross-contaminated with other drugs and substances present in the trailers where they were being produced and packaged."

The RCMP says some of the counterfeit snacks contained dangerously high cannabis potency levels, including some with labels claiming to be 100 times stronger than regulated cannabis products.

With Halloween just days away, police are urging the public to be keep cannabis products away from children.

"It is possible that the consumption of these products can lead to serious health risks," Chief Supt. Stephen Lee, deputy regional commander of the RCMP Federal Policing Program - Pacific Region, said in the release.

"We urge members of the public to practise extreme caution if they already possess or come across such products in the future."

Mounties say the investigation is still ongoing and several drug-related charges are being pursued.