Pubdate: Wed, 07 Sep 2005
Source: Brampton Guardian (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Brampton Guardian
Contact:  http://www.thebramptonguardian.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1485
Author: Pam Douglas
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

BATTLE AGAINST POT GROW LABS IS PAYING OFF

Peel's Green Team Has Its Work Cut Out For It.

The special five-member Peel police drug squad spends its time trying to 
keep a lid on the number of residential homes being turned into 
multi-million dollar marijuana factories.

Police raided two more Brampton houses recently where they seized more than 
1,000 plants with a total street value of more than $1 million. The same 
scenario plays out close to 200 times a year in Brampton and Mississauga.

One was on Horned Owl Drive, the other on Rainforest Drive. On Horned Owl, 
a family of four was living in the house. Three were charged, while a 
17-year-old girl was released, according to police.

Police say it is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of their efforts, but 
the crooks are being more careful these days.

Having an effect

"They may be concealing them a little better," said Det. Sgt. Rob Ryan, who 
directs the Green Team. "They keep the plants in the basement, vent the 
house better, cut the lawn, live in it and maintain it better.

"I like to believe that, because of our policing, (raiding) them 
continually, it's had an effect on the overall viability of having (a grow 
lab)," he said.

Despite the attempts to avoid neighbourhood suspicions, police still don't 
have much of a problem finding the grow labs. The Green Team's working list 
is usually close to 100 addresses long, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Patrol officers and firefighters sometimes come across the labs in the 
course of their routines-- investigating a report of a break-in at a home 
or a fire.

Ryan says there are some stranger tales to tell. He recalled the recent 
story of a hydro worker who was in a Brampton neighbourhood inspecting a 
line when someone came out of a house waving his arms in the air and 
calling out, "Okay, you got me."

The man confessed that he was growing marijuana in the house, then 
collected his family and drove away, leaving his crop for police to harvest.

Peel police have been very aggressive in their battle with these illegal 
operations.

They put together a case for stiffer penalties and presented it to a judge, 
something that initially seemed to have some impact, but it wasn't a 
permanent effect, Ryan said.

They have concentrated on educating residents about the telltale signs, and 
then followed through with investigations and raids on each house. Last 
year, 209 were shut down in Brampton and Mississauga with $84 million in 
marijuana plants seized. In the first seven months of this year, 92 were 
raided with $34 million in marijuana plants seized.

Ryan said they have looked at the possibility of seizing the houses as 
proceeds of crime. However, it is very time-consuming and difficult to 
track the ownership of the homes, he said.

"It takes a lot of work to find out who owns the house," Ryan said. "It's 
just a name game."

It is also a waste of time if, as is often the case, the house has a very 
large mortgage, or the owner of the house appears to have nothing to do 
with the growing of marijuana.

A lot of the marijuana grown here and throughout the GTA is shipped by 
truck to the United States, Ryan said. Just last month, a Brampton truck 
driver was charged in Buffalo with trying to smuggle a truckload of pot 
across the border.

Despite the long list, police want residents to report any suspected grow 
operations. They pose a danger to the neighbourhood, and because of the 
high humidity created by the operations, mould in the homes is becoming a 
health concern, too, Ryan said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peel police, Morality Bureau, at 
905-453-3311, ext. 3515, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 
1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom