B.C. officers went searching for a lion. They found illicit cannabis and fentanyl instead

B.C. government wants the rural Abbotsford property, once owned by an animal trainer, forfeited as a proceed of crime and instrument of illegal activity

Two years ago, conservation officers went to an Abbotsford property looking for a lion and a cougar.

What they found instead was a large-scale illicit cannabis growing operation and significant amounts of fentanyl.

Now the B.C. government wants the rural property forfeited as a proceed of crime and instrument of illegal activity.

A civil forfeiture claim was filed last week against Dinh Van Bui, who bought the three-hecatre property at 7467 Walters St. in 2013 for $565,000.

But the real target of the 2023 investigation appears to be the former owner of the land — animal trainer Joseph “Gerry” Therrien — and his son, Luc Therrien.

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