Thousands of Vancouver Island pot plants being destroyed

Vancouver Island RCMP and the Victoria Police Department have taken to the skies to locate and destroy tens of thousands of marijuana plants.

The annual project is currently being conducted by officers hoisted from helicopters, who are targeting out of reach marijuana plantations on government owned land.

"It's harvest season for Vancouver Island police," project spokesman Cpl. Darren Lagan said.

Another team of officers will work from the ground to uproot sites that are accessible by land.

"These are not small pot grows. These are operations averaging 200 plants in size, to as large as 900 plants," Lagan said.

"By destroying them, we are disrupting the flow of illegal drugs to the streets of our communities."

The Canadian Armed Forces are partnered with the project to provide expertise and equipment.

The RCMP says it will not disclose the locations targeted in the interest of officer safety.

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  Drug enforcement officers used helicopters to access hard-to-reach marijuana operations. August 30, 2009. (RCMP)

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  Officers estimate tens of thousands of plants will be destroyed in the annual raid. August 30, 2009. (RCMP)