Six people have been charged after police raided an illegal cannabis grow-op in Niagara Falls and seized marijuana plants worth an estimated $8 million.

The OPP-led Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team launched an investigation after it became aware of a strong cannabis odour coming from what was believed to be an abandoned warehouse on Don Murie Street.

On April 17, police executed a search warrant and seized more than 2,500 clone cannabis plants and more than 13,000 vegetative and mature budding cannabis plants.

As a result, Chamrong Ladadas, 49, Arthit Seesai, 31, Xueqi Gao, 59, Jeffrey Lian, 41, and Li Cheng Feng, 58, all of no fixed address, as well as Wen Guang Zheng, 66, of Markham, have been charged under the Cannabis Act with cultivating cannabis without authorization.

They have all been released from custody and are set to appear in court on May 30.

This ongoing investigation is supported by the OPP West Region Emergency Response Team, OPP Urban Search and Rescue, Chemical, Biological, Radioactive, Nuclear and Explosive Response Team, the OPP-led Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit, and Niagara Regional Police Service.

Anyone with any information about the production of unauthorized or illegal cannabis is urged to call OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.