Some Ontario growers aren’t getting the chance to reap what they sow thanks to an uptick in robberies that have — not coincidentally — arrived alongside harvest season.

The latest such theft took place in Guelph, according to the CBC, where OPP officers attended a rural property as the act was underway. Police witnessed the suspects running to a parked car and, after a short investigation, seized “a duffel bag containing fresh marijuana” and took the pot pillagers into custody.

The criminal behaviour will only increase over the next few weeks as marijuana plants in grow ops of all sizes continue to mature and are collected by growers — around mid-October, according to André Johnson, a public information officer for the Waterloo Region Police Service.

“During the harvesting season, plants are targeted by thieves,” he said.

Most outdoor producers would have planted seeds or seedlings around May, according to Matt Soltys, a University of Guelph student who used to be a federally licensed cannabis grower. Crops grow throughout the summer and begin to flower in the fall as the nights grow longer. Opportunistic thieves can ruin a lot of hard work and gain very little by removing plants before they are ready.

“I think any time I’ve ever heard of a plant getting stolen it’s frustrating because it’s earlier than the ideal time to harvest,” Soltys said. “It’s kind of annoying, as a person who cares about horticulture.”

If there’s a silver lining to be found for disappointed growers staring at empty plots, it’s that police will investigate such crimes now that recreational cannabis is legal. Waterloo police are encouraging victims to reach out to them at 519-570-9777 or on their website.