It’s harvest time for marijuana growers, and that means it’s also crack down time for police on street gangs and criminals who finance the grow-ops.

RCMP are asking Nova Scotians to keep their eyes open for outdoor marijuana grow-ops since they know their communities and neighborhoods best, and they should call police if they see any suspicious activity.

Grow operations are often drawn to rural areas, where plants are hidden between natural growing vegetation and are often set up on someone else’s land.

Sgt. Dan MacGillivray says street gangs and criminal groups finance their activities by growing, trafficking and exporting illegal marijuana.