Pubdate: Thu, 15 Feb 2001
Source: Richmond Review, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 Richmond Public Library
Contact:  Unit 140 5671 No. 3 Road, Richmond, B.C.
Fax: (604) 606-8752
Website: http://www.rpl.richmond.bc.ca/community/RichmondReview/
Author: Martin van den Hemel

TEENS NABBED OUTSIDE GROW-OP

Local teens apparently aren't getting the message that marijuana growing 
operations shouldn't be toyed with.

Last Tuesday, a Maple Road resident contacted police after spotting a 
couple of teens at the back of a home that contained a suspected marijuana 
growing operation.

At the scene, police spoke to the teens and learned that they were in fact 
planning to break into the home, and were waiting for three other teens to 
bring house-breaking tools.

Police later obtained a search warrant to the home and dismantled the 
marijuana grow operation discovered inside.

"They are going to, in blunt terms, get themselves killed," Richmond RCMP 
Const. Peter Thiessen warned teenagers.

This is the second such warning issued by police in less than four months.

The first warning came in late October when three 16-year-old boys were 
nabbed as they were trying to break into a house on the 5500 block of 
Granville Road.

The teens were carrying a long knife and several garbage bags. The house 
contained around 400 marijuana plants.

Thiessen reiterated that larger marijuana operations are fraught with 
danger because they are generally the handiwork of organized crime, which 
will take whatever steps are necessary-even murder-to protect their 
investments.

The October incident was particularly disturbing because of its brazen 
nature. The teens were willing to break into the home even though they knew 
someone was inside.

Thiessen said in October that police intelligence indicates that some youth 
seem to think that they are doing the police a favour by breaking into 
marijuana growing operations.
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