Pubdate: Wed, 03 Aug 2005
Source: Leaside-Rosedale Town Crier (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Town Crier Media Inc.
Contact:  http://www.towncrieronline.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2362
Author: Sandie Benitah
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

IS DON MILLS GOING TO POT?

Number Of Grow-Ops In Area Has Tripled, Police Stats Show

The Don Mills neighbourhood is getting greener by the minute, but this time 
it has nothing to do with its beautiful landscape.

The number of marijuana grow operations has more than tripled since 2003, 
according to recent police statistics obtained by the Town Crier.

In 2003, police uncovered three grow-ops, but in 2004, they busted 11 of 
them, all around Don Mills and 401 neighbourhood.

Of the 11 grow-ops found in this community last year, seven of them were 
found in apartment buildings, while four were in homes in the area where 
Don Mills meets the highway. Police seized 2,738 plants, weighing roughly 
185 kilograms (400 lbs), worth up to $3.5 million on the street. Dealers 
typically sell by the gram, each going for $10 to $20.

So far, in 2005, police have come across three marijuana grow-ops but Staff 
Inspector Dan Hayes of the drug squad said that number is likely to grow.

"It's still a relatively low number," said Hayes. "I wouldn't characterize 
it as a problem in this particular neighbourhood."

The statistics show the area just northeast of the neighbourhood, in the 
northern part of Scarborough, is the area most plagued with the illegal hot 
spots, with their numbers jumping from 43 in 2003 to 134 last year. This 
year, the latest numbers show that police have shut down 63 operations.

Not all neighbourhoods are going green. In the downtown core, statistics 
show the numbers decreasing, while just south of us in the Thorncliffe Park 
area and the surrounding communities, police have found none so far this year.

But the higher numbers in Don Mills isn't necessarily an indication the 
problem is growing, said Hayes, though he added that soft court sentences 
certainly don't help.

"It can be attributed to a lack of meaningful sentences acting as a 
(deterrent)," he said. "But also, we're discovering more grow-ops because 
of increased public awareness. The public is aware of the tell-tale signs."

He said a lot of the indoor gardens are found by building inspectors or by 
landlords investigating floods. Police have also made it a priority to be 
more proactive in seeking out marijuana operations by educating the public 
and cultivating informants.

While most of the grow-ops found in the area were operated from apartment 
buildings, Hayes said most of the time dealers choose spacious suburban 
homes in middle-class communities for the added privacy and space. Still, 
as the statistics show, apartment buildings are becoming a becoming a 
popular trend.

"It's probably riskier holding it there," said Hayes. "Often, it's unrented 
units that are turned into grows. They go in there, change the locks and 
run it until it's discovered. It's a crap shoot."

Dealers operating out of homes still have a good chance of getting busted 
- -- especially from their neighbours. Hayes said the public should be aware 
of late-night activity, bright lights coming out from blinded windows, or 
of generally poor maintenance in the front and back yards. The strong 
skunk-like odour of marijuana is often a dead giveaway too, he said.

Unfortunately, the sentences are such that the perpetrators might re-offend 
even if they are caught, Hayes said.

"Sometimes, they're given a conditional sentence of house arrest," he said. 
"Can you believe it? Someone who's convicted of operating a marijuana 
grow-op sentenced to staying at home? It doesn't make sense."

He said about 25 percent of convicts are given a jail sentence, and even 
then it's only for a couple of months at most. Other times, they have to 
pay a fine or are sentenced to community service.

"It's definitely not enough to clean out their profits," he said. "A 
typical grow-op can generate about $1 million a year and we're not talking 
about an elaborate one here -- a basic operation with about 150 plants."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom