At 10:00 this morning, Whitehorse RCMP searched a fourth Copper Ridge home in connection with grow operations in the city.

Officers seized another load of marijuana plants from the neighbourhood.

In wake of a bust last Thursday and Friday that saw an estimated 2,400 marijuana plants taken from three Copper Ridge homes, today's seizure was similar in size, according to Sgt. John Sutherland.

This would suggest around 800 plants were found in the house.

Today's seizure was a result of the same ongoing investigation that led police to descend upon the Copper Ridge houses last Thursday.

'It's similar in nature,' Sutherland said of this morning's bust.

Five men were arrested in connection with the three marijuana grow operations uncovered by police last week.

After a brief appearance in court Friday afternoon, the five men were ordered to remain in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre over the weekend.

Wei Xiong Wen, 43, Zhu Dong Liang, 44, and Guang Xian Zhu, 26, of Whitehorse, and Kui Tin Yeung, 36, and Wei Min Zhai, 40, of Vancouver, are set to appear in court again tomorrow.

Due to a publication ban, the information heard in court Friday cannot be published.

Last week's police seizure lasted 11 hours, from approximately 4 p.m. Thursday until 3 a.m. Friday.

The houses were sparsely furnished, according to Sutherland, who described them as containing 'little to no furniture.'

Along with a couple of thousand plants that ranged in size from seedlings to plants 5 1/2 feet tall and ready for harvest, a variety of equipment commonly used for cultivating marijuana was also taken from the houses.

Police place the value of the plants between $2 million and $5 million. The price of the drug varies widely depending on whether they're sold by the joint, or in bulk, Sutherland said.

Since the plants were unharvested, it is not known exactly how much usable drug they would have yielded either.

In an interview last week, Sutherland said drug profits are used to fund other crimes, ranging from fraud to prostitution.

Residents are reminded to report suspicious behaviour to police or anonymously to Crime Stoppers.

There is a final question that may be weighing on the mind of more than one reader: what will become of the vast quantity of seized plants?

The marijuana plants will meet their demise at an undisclosed location here in Whitehorse, Sutherland said.

About 3,200 plants that will be destroyed.