Pubdate: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS) Copyright: 2008 The Halifax Herald Limited Contact: http://thechronicleherald.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180 Author: Beverly Ware Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) SMOKING OUT GROW-OPS Police Raid On South Shore Nets Almost $500k Worth Of Pot, Vehicles POLICE DISPLAYED plastic garbage bags and ice-cream containers, paper compost bags and large onion bags filled with dried marijuana leaves and buds Thursday, all items they seized in raids on three South Shore homes on Wednesday. It was the largest seizure the South Shore Integrated Crime Unit has made, with Bridgewater town police and RCMP officers arresting five people and taking in $370,000 worth of marijuana along with pot growing equipment, ATVs and vehicles. Bridgewater Deputy Police Chief John Collyer said the investigation isn't over. The case is being handed over to commercial crime and proceeds-of-crime investigators who will pore over the assets of the five people arrested, so it will be some time before the true value of the year-long operation is known. "There's a significant investment by the individuals that are doing this activity," the deputy chief said. And he said police are still bringing people in for questioning. "We anticipate there will be perhaps more seizures and more arrests that come out of this." Deputy Chief Collyer said this was the most sophisticated grow operation the integrated crime unit has found in its 18 months of operation on the South Shore. "Time will only tell what impact it will bring to the street price (of marijuana) here in the Bridgewater area but we believe we have significantly disrupted their operations and there should be an impact on the street price of drugs here on the South Shore." RCMP Staff Sgt. Mark Furey said the value of the bust is measurable in other ways, too. The joint enforcement unit has already seized $2.4 million worth of drugs in Lunenburg and Queens counties, $500,000 worth of stolen property and "significant quantities" of illegal cigarettes. He said both the RCMP and town police have reported a 30 per cent drop in property crimes in the past 18 months - crimes often committed by people stealing things and then selling them for drug money. "We feel these types of seizures disrupt organized crime and contribute to a decrease in crime in the community," Staff Sgt. Furey said. Deputy Chief Collyer said police executed search warrants Wednesday on a home in Danesville, Queens County, and on two Lunenburg County homes, one in Cookville and the other in Lower Branch. They seized about 30 kilograms of marijuana, a small amount of cocaine and sophisticated marijuana-growing equipment. Police showed pictures of some of what they had seen and seized: an ATV, an 11.4-litre plastic strawberry yogurt container filled with processed buds, a room off a garage filled with marijuana that was growing with the help of filters, lamps and fans, and screen trays covered with drying dope that had been separated according to its variety. Police have not released the names of the three men and two women who were arrested because paperwork for court is still being finalized. The five are scheduled to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on Dec. 17 charged with crimes ranging from possession of cocaine to producing and trafficking marijuana. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin