RCMP make cyberbust
Pot seeds sold online; Police operation is first of its kind in Canada
An Internet company that sold marijuana seeds has gone over like a lead zeppelin with the RCMP.
Although Montreal-based Heaven's Stairway has operated brazenly on the Internet since 1998 and is listed on Quebec's business registry, the RCMP announced yesterday they have shut down its operations, located in the basement of a duplex on Marsan St. in Cartierville.
The RCMP described the large-scale bust as the first of its kind in Canada.
The company's owner, Richard Baghdadlian, 38, and six other people have been charged with importing and trafficking in marijuana and conspiracy to do the same.
All the suspects have been released on bail. Baghdadlian's lawyer, Loris Cavaliere, said he has yet to see the evidence gathered in the case.
"It's the first time I've seen a case like this," Cavaliere said.
During the RCMP investigation, the company received 30 orders a day at an average price of $100 each, RCMP Sgt. Andre Potvin said. The company is believed to have purchased its seeds from dealers in British Columbia, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
Potvin said there is evidence the company sold seeds to customers all over North America and to several foreign countries. The RCMP carried out search warrants and seized more than 200,000 marijuana seeds, enough to supply 500 greenhouses with 400 plants.
The company received orders through its various websites. Customers paid for their seeds by mailing cash or money orders to post office boxes in Montreal.
Potvin said the RCMP had been aware of Heaven's Stairway for years but lacked the resources to pursue the company until a new drug-enforcement team was assembled in 2004.
Marc-Boris St. Maurice, president of the Marijuana Foundation, an organization that seeks to reform marijuana legislation, said the shutdown of Heaven's Stairway was the subject of much discussion in chat rooms and on marijuana-related websites. He said many customers are worried their purchases have left an electronic trace.
"There are about two or three dozen companies operating in Canada that sell seeds either by mail or in stores (including about 10 in Montreal.) They have been functioning pretty much with impunity and no police intervention," St. Maurice said.
"This court case is going to be very important with regards to seeds in Canada.
"The eyes of the international cannabis community are going to be on this very closely."
The RCMP raids and arrests come months after the United States had British Columbia resident Marc Emery arrested on an extradition request. Emery is charged in the U.S. with conspiring to distribute marijuana seeds and launder money.
Reached by phone yesterday, Emery said he was aware of the Heaven's Stairway case. He said he considers his case different because the Montreal company was also giving advice on how to run marijuana grow operations. By comparison, Emery has been very public while pushing for the regulated and licensed sale of marijuana.
"The irony is, if I'm sent to the U.S. and convicted, I'm going to be sent to prison for 30 years for something that is a political issue," Emery said.
"If (Baghdadlian and the co-accused) are convicted here in Canada, they'll do something like six months."
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