Heaven’s Stairway

Establishment and Operations:

• Heavens Stairway was an Eastern Canadian cannabis seedbank established in 1998.
• The company supplied approximately 300 different cannabis strains sourced from New Zealand and the Netherlands.
• Heavens Stairway shipped seeds globally, with a focus on Canada, the United States, and Europe.
• Online platforms like hempqc.com and cannabisseeds.com facilitated orders and provided cultivation information.

Legal Issues and Raid:

• On January 31, 2006, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided Heavens Stairway.
• Seized during the raid were 200,000 cannabis seeds, US $183,000, and three gold bricks.
• Owner Richard Hratch Baghdadlian and six others were charged with importing and trafficking cannabis.
• Heavens Stairway faced legal scrutiny for online seed sales and cultivation promotion.
• The DEA and the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board were involved in prosecuting Canadian seedbanks.

Acquisition of Overgrow.com:

• Overgrow.com, acquired by Baghdadlian in 2002, was a prominent cannabis grow site advocating for legalization.
• Established in 1999, Overgrow.com featured the StrainGuide for cannabis genetic lineages.
• The site’s forums were popular for discussions, accumulating over 6 million posts.
• Overgrow.com was recognized in publications like Maxim and High Times magazines.

International Interest and Concerns:

• The INCB expressed concerns about potent cannabis varieties promoted through Canadian servers.
• Urgent action was emphasized by the INCB to counter the spread of indoor cultivation.
• Global authorities, including the DEA and the INCB, monitored Canadian seedbanks closely.
• The INCB’s 1999 report highlighted online sales of cannabis seeds and paraphernalia.
• Urgency was underscored by the INCB to address the proliferation of online cannabis cultivation.

Related Links and References:

• References from the RCMP and news outlets documented the raid and legal actions against Heavens Stairway.
• Coverage by The Gazette and Tucson Weekly included the cyberbust and marijuana-related news.
• Archived reports from the RCMP and the INCB provided insights into investigations and legal implications.
• The Wikipedia page on Heavens Stairway contained valuable historical context.
• Categories related to Heavens Stairway included defunct companies, cannabis companies, and online retailers in Quebec.

Heaven’s Stairway Data Sources