Pubdate: Thu, 07 Feb 2013
Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)
Copyright: 2013 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/letters.html
Website: http://www.montrealgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274
Author: Douglas Quan
Page: A10

STORING GOODS FROM DRUG BUSTS COSTS GOVERNMENT $25M A YEAR

Everything from chemicals to cars warehoused

The RCMP is becoming increasingly concerned about potential liability
from longterm storage of hazardous materials seized from drug labs.

Mounties are especially concerned about the potential for leaks,
explosions or unforeseen chemical reactions from the extended storage
of certain precursor chemicals - the ingredients used to make
synthetic drugs.

Their concerns are contained in a report commissioned by Health Canada
to examine the costs of managing controlled substances, production
equipment and other related items seized by police.

Growing domestic production of drugs has led to increased seizures,
which have "created pressures on the management and disposal" of
controlled substances and related items, said the December 2011
report, obtained by Postmedia News under access-to-information laws.

Sara Lauer, a spokeswoman for Health Canada, said this week in an
email that the federal government is using the report to look at
"potential amendments" to federal rules regulating the storage and
disposal of controlled substances and related property. She didn't
elaborate.

Currently, when police come across a drug operation, the
responsibility for managing the seized items falls under different
agencies. Controlled substances, for instance, are the responsibility
of Health Canada.

Other items related to the drug operation, known as "offence-related
property," are the responsibility of either the police agency or a
branch of Public Works and Government Services Canada, which operates
seven warehouses across the country. Property Drawn-out court
proceedings are typically the cause.

But the RCMP suggests that some offence-related property is of no
value to the owner after it's been seized by police, so there's no
point waiting until a court case is over to decide what to do with
it.

Precursor chemicals, for instance, are typically stored in large drums
with other chemicals, leaving them "physically undistinguishable and
impure," according to the report.

Given the potential risks to the environment from "unintended
releases" and the "risk to the public around the storage site in the
event of a release, explosion or reaction of stored chemicals," the
report suggests one option might be for the federal government to just
allow for the "immediate destruction" of these chemicals upon seizure.

Cpl. Luc Chicoine, an RCMP synthetic drug expert in Ottawa, said in an
interview that there are certain seized items, such as volatile
chemicals or corrosive acids, that should be destroyed
immediately.

Chicoine said he is aware of some "minor" leaks that have occurred in
the past but nothing that posed a health threat. Still, he said,
"those items are dangerous," he said. "They shouldn't be stored."

The RCMP also suggests there may be little value in storing hydroponic
and other equipment seized from marijuana grow-operations, such as
lamps, wiring, fans and tubing, when these items will most likely end
up being destroyed or recycled.

Most marijuana-related equipment in storage is typically valued at $1
a piece, but each item can cost $155 to manage, according to the report.

The report suggests it might just make more sense to destroy or
recycle low-value hydroponics and other equipment "immediately upon or
shortly after seizure."

The same can probably be said of beat-up vehicles, Chicoine
said.

"If we seize a $25 vehicle - an old beater - why do we store that
vehicle at $200 a month? Why are we keeping that? Let's get rid of it
right away," he said, suggesting that if the owner is found not
guilty, he can be reimbursed for the cost of the car.

The report notes that it can cost up to $500 a month to store more
expensive vehicles.

Even if a judge orders the forfeiture of the vehicle and the vehicle
is put up for auction, two years may have passed and the vehicle may
have lost one-third or more of its resale value, undercutting the
cost-recovery for the government and police, the report states.
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