The RCMP and the Canadian military have spent nearly $11.5 million in the last eight years on a national search-and-destroy mission for illicit marijuana crops.
Federal figures show the annual Mountie-led effort, known as Operation Sabot, has led to tens of thousands of pot plants being wiped out each year.
Liberal defence critic Joyce Murray, who uncovered the data, says she's stunned at the amount spent on the project.
Last year the military spent more than $360,000 on helicopter support for the operation, which resulted in eradication of over 40,000 plants.
The military put more than $2.5 million toward the project in 2009 — the highest annual tally among the figures disclosed to Murray through a parliamentary order paper question.
The RCMP says the goal is to target outdoor marijuana growing operations and reduce the supply of pot available in Canadian communities.
