Two men have been charged after Mounties raided an elaborate multi-million-dollar grow op in Okanagan Falls.

Penticton RCMP raided a McLean Creek Road home near Eastside Road on Tuesday after finding an underground electrical bypass to the house.

The approximately 1,000-square-foot basement of the home had been divided into five rooms to house more than 2,000 mature and seedling pot plants.

theprovince.com

The Pennsylvania home of a woman with ties to Staten Island was the "distribution hub" of a $2.7 million marijuana-trafficking ring, authorities allege.

Tameicina Lynn Johnson, 38, of Plum, a Pittsburgh suburb, was arrested Friday after a yearlong probe by Pennsylvania authorities, according to a published report in the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review.

silive.com

Northern Illinois authorities say they've seized two tons of marijuana worth $6.6 million from two homes.

Authorities say they found 4,400 pounds of pot growing and 500 pounds of dried marijuana that was ready for packaging.

Police collected 2,200 marijuana plants from a Marengo home and 2,100 plants from a house near Woodstock.

qctimes.com
kwwl.com

A local representative's push for a state bong tax has turned into a proposal for an all-out ban.

Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, had proposed a tax on tobacco accessories used to smoke illegal drugs. But on Thursday, a House committee decided to change the bill.

baynews9.com

The first Mexican opera to deal directly with the country's drugs conflict has staged its premiere in Mexico City.

The opera, Only the Truth, is based on a popular Mexican song of the 1970s which tells the story of a woman who smuggles marijuana into the US.

Her lover betrays her and in an act of crazy revenge, she murders him.

The work premiered at Indiana University. Here's an interview with the composer:

bbc.co.uk

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security report that since 2008 Mexican cartels have made a concerted effort to bribe law enforcement agents in the U.S.. The FBI reported that the cartels have targeted local, state, and federal-level law enforcement officials. Around 400 corruption cases have been investigated by U.S. federal agents. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service is a particularly popular target for cartelista bribery or even infiltration. The CBP itself reported that over 500 corruption cases were made in 2009 against people working for the service. The cartel leaders have bragged they can buy anyone. That, of course, is not true, but that does not stop the gangsters from trying. The cartels and people-smuggling rings have targeted Border Patrol agents for years.

strategypage.com

Ask AG for moratorium on DEA medical marijuana raids

Four Colorado lawmakers are urging the U.S. Attorney General to temporarily stop Federal Drug Enforcement Agency raids on local medical marijuana businesses until the Legislature passes bills to regulate the industry.

thedenverdailynews.com