Pubdate: Thu, 01 Nov 2001
Source: Kitchener-Waterloo Record (CN ON)
Copyright: 2001 Kitchener-Waterloo Record
Contact:  http://www.therecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225
Author: Liz Monteiro
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

POLICE RAID YIELDS 520 POT PLANTS

KITCHENER -- The number of home-grown marijuana operations in 
Waterloo Region could reach epidemic proportions if the community 
doesn't take a stand against pot growers, says the head of the police 
force's drug squad.

"Do citizens of Waterloo Region want to become another Vancouver? We 
are headed that way, if we don't become more vigilant,'' said Staff 
Sgt. Ray Massicotte of Waterloo regional police.

In the greater Vancouver area, there are about 7,000 indoor marijuana 
operations, so many that police are having a hard time getting a 
handle on them, said Massicotte.

So far, local police have busted about 60 people in drug raids 
throughout the region. Police believe there are at least another 200 
homes running indoor marijuana grow operations in the area.

Most of them are similar in design -- the plants are the same quality 
and the growing equipment with its floor fans, high-wattage light 
bulbs and umbrella-shaped reflectors are also the same.

And most of the front-line workers in the "criminal organization" are 
Vietnamese, police say.

Sometimes, those arrested are families with children who live in the 
home, while others rent the house and don't live permanently in the 
home.

The homes seem to be two-storey houses with a double-car garage, 
located in family neighbourhoods.

Yesterday, there was another such bust on Westforest Trail. The 
four-bedroom, suburban home is in the Westheights area of Kitchener 
where houses start at about $200,000.

By 7:30 a.m., officers with the drug squad were banging on the door.

Sitting in the living room was a 45-year-old female and a 47-year-old 
male, both of Vietnamese descent. A six-year-old boy was also in the 
house. Family and Children's Services took custody of the child.

The couple was charged with cultivating marijuana, possession for the 
purpose of trafficking and theft of hydro. They were to appear in 
bail court today.

On the front lawn of the house, police put up a sign that tells 
passersby the house has been raided and asks people to call 
Crimestoppers with tips.

Police found 520 marijuana plants growing in the basement of the 
2,200-square-foot house. Each plant is valued at about $1,000, police 
said. There were some starter plants on the top floor.

Officers dressed in protective suits, breathing apparatus and rubber 
gloves carried the plants and about $15,000 worth of growing 
equipment to a large rental truck. Workers with Kitchener-Wilmot 
Hydro were also at the house.

"There are so many dangers in this house,'' said Massicotte, 
referring to the fire hazards due to the bypassed hydro. "The ground 
can be electrified and there is potential for shock.''

Massicotte said police need to continue to bust the pot-growing 
operations, but the judicial system needs to give sentences that 
reflect the seriousness of the crime.

Only a handful of those running the pot operations have appeared in 
court. The first sentence got a 21-year-old man an 18-month 
conditional sentence.

None of the charges has resulted in jail time.

Massicotte said the number of home grow operations continues to 
proliferate because it is extremely profitable. "It's like operating 
a franchise,'' he said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Josh