[420 Girl]

Last winter saw a wave of raids on cannabis plantations in Norway, and now those charged are facing their day in court. Two Swedes and a Dutch defendant are linked to two of the largest plantations, and they're charged under Norway's so-called "mafia" law designed to fight organized crime.

Prosecutor Cathrine Fossen told newspaper Aftenposten on Tuesday that there's a link between large plantations found in Lillehammer and in Kongsberg, and that they involve a group with criminal operations beyond Lillehammer. The mafia law can thus apply, she said.

The plantation in Lillehammer was in operation from April 2007 to February 2008, when police raided it. At that time, it had four or five sub-operations. One person was arrested at the scene, and two others after a car chase.

The cannabis plantations were all found inside otherwise ordinary-looking homes, which had been rented out by persons of Vietnamese background. The homes were then converted into large greenhouse-type operations, and many ruined in the process. More than 500 cannabis plants were found just on the top floor of the Lillehammer house.

Police in Norway have raided nearly 50 cannabis plantations in eastern Norway since last fall. In all the cases, the operations were inside homes rented by Norwegian-Vietnamese men. More than 100 persons have been arrested, 10 have been convicted so far and 10 more have been charged.

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