Pubdate: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2002 The Sudbury Star Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608 Author: Bob Vaillancourt Cited: Ontario Provincial Police http://www.gov.on.ca/opp/des/english/ Rainbow Crime Stoppers http://www.srcrimestoppers.com/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) ILLEGAL POT FARMS A THREAT IN NORTH: OPP With harvest time approaching, growers set booby traps to prevent theft of their illegal harvest Booby-trapped marijuana grow operations are a serious danger for police and anyone else who may stumble upon them, an Ontario Provincial Police officer warns. As harvest season nears for growing operations, the plants become more valuable, said Oscar Horth, an OPP drug enforcement officer. Growers are taking more elaborate steps to protect their investment, Horth said. The traps consist of everything from razor wire to shotguns connected to trip wires. In one case several years ago in eastern Ontario, two people were shot by such a device, said Horth, an acting detective sergeant with the OPP's drug enforcement section in North Bay. Ironically, the two people shot were trying to steal plants at an outdoor plot. 'There was a situation where there was a sensor of some kind that was tripped by these two individuals who were about to rip off an illegal grow,' Horth said. 'They were met by gunfire. 'One was struck in the neck and the buttocks. Both were fairly seriously injured.' Because of the traps, police have put a special emphasis on training the officers in the field about the devices. 'We are training our people to really be cautious of these types of devices,' he said 'We are reaching the time of the season where it is profit time. 'These people that grow these crops have invested a lot of time and effort and sweat and they don't want to lose their crops.' The crops are showing up just about anywhere there is a patch of land to grow on, said Horth. 'It is very easy for them to hide their plots in the North. The fact that we have such a vast woodland up here makes it quite easy to find a location in a remote area that will allow them to produce a bumper crop.' That could pose some real problems for anyone who happens to be in the area of a growing operation, whether they are picking berries or simply out for a walk. Each year police come across hundreds of acres of illegal growing operations in Northern Ontario, where the crops are planted among other bushes that can help camouflage the marijuana plants. Crown land, farm properties, berry patches and wet areas adjacent to marshes and swamps are all favoured locations, said Horth. 'But our concern right now is the folks who are out berry picking who find themselves in the middle of a patch of marijuana,' he said. As the harvest time for the plants nears, there will be increased activity around them, he said. People should be on the lookout for unfamiliar vehicles parked in secluded areas at odd hours, and of new footpaths or all-terrain-vehicle trails that could lead from rural roads into the grow areas. Anyone who comes upon a growing operation should record the exact location and call Crime Stoppers or the nearest police service. Horth said the OPP is looking to work out a deal with the Rainbow Crime Stoppers program based in Sudbury to double the usual $1,000 reward for information leading to illegal grow activities. A similar deal reached with the North Bay Crime Stoppers program has been highly successful, he said. The OPP number is 1-888-310-1122 while the Crime Stoppers number is 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake