Operation SABOT

Operation SABOT is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police marijuana-eradication program conducted annually with support from the Canadian Armed Forces.

Assistance to law enforcement in Canada is a function of the Canadian Armed Forces specifically provided for in Section 273.6 of the National Defence Act. The Canadian Armed Forces participates in Operation SABOT under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of National Defence and the Solicitor General of Canada.

The task force

Operation SABOT receives air-mobility and surveillance support provided by the Royal Canadian Air Force. When they are tasked to Operation SABOT, crews and aircraft come under operational command of the Commander CJOC and operational control of the Joint Force Air Component Commander in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Mission context

The threat

Organized crime thrives on the profits realized from the illicit cultivation of marijuana (also spelled "marihuana") in hidden gardens popularly known as growing operations or "grow-ops." Marijuana sales, especially across the U.S. border, are known to finance criminal enterprises such as the illicit importation of other drugs, especially cocaine, and weapons into Canada.

Grow-ops in Canada are found both outdoors and indoors. The typical outdoor grow-op is a garden planted in the centre of a cornfield or in a forest, where tall crops or natural vegetation provide camouflage. Indoor grow-ops depend on hydroponic technology, and can be located in any building (agricultural, commercial, industrial or residential) that is supplied with water and electricity.

Wherever a grow-op exists, the surrounding community is at risk from associated criminal activity and violence. Indoor grow-ops also present dangers related to large-scale intensive hydroponic cultivation in buildings designed for other purposes. Fires and explosions are common, caused by overloaded electrical circuits, inexpert wiring, and the accumulation of toxic vapours in a sealed environment. The heat and high humidity desirable for growing marijuana is also good for mould and fungus, creating serious health hazards for occupants of an active grow-op and eventually making the building uninhabitable. Finally, grow-ops are often protected by booby traps to deter thieves and hinder police.

The mission

Since its inception in 1989, the Canadian Armed Forces' contribution to Operation SABOT has been limited to aircraft and surveillance equipment, and the personnel required to operate them. Patrols conducted under Operation SABOT are led by RCMP officers, who perform and are fully responsible for all related law-enforcement actions.

The results

Over the years, patrols conducted under Operation SABOT have resulted in many arrests and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of marijuana plants.

External links

Government of Canada

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police / Marihuana Grow Operations