Pubdate: Thu, 06 Dec 2001
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Author: Darah Hansen

RICHMOND RCMP'S GREEN CLEAN TEAM BUSTS MORE GROW-OPS

Two more large-scale marijuana operations have been shut down in Richmond 
since the RCMP and the city jointly launched its Operation Green Clean - a 
team of police officers dedicated to busting pot grow-ops - last month.

The latest investigations uncovered 2,000 pot plants growing in three 
separate commercial buildings in the 11700-block of River Road.

Police officers were sent to the area earlier last week to deal with a 
single grow-op when they discovered the other two.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the bust and face charges 
of pot production and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Richmond RCMP media liaison Const. Peter Thiessen said the Green Clean team 
isn't necessarily targeting industrial-area grow-ops, though many of its 
recent successes have been from commercial sites.

"It's a matter of the intelligence we're getting," he said. "These 
warehouses are obviously well suited for these larger (pot) operations."

In other crime news relating to the marijuana trade in Richmond, Thiessen 
reported two recent break-ins to homes where pot had been growing.

Thiessen said it appeared the houses (in the 7400-block of No. 4 Road and 
10000-block of No. 2 Road) had been specifically targeted by thieves 
because of their pot.

Besides the criminal intent of the thieves, Thiessen said these kinds of 
break-ins - commonly referred to as "grow-rips" - can be dangerous, even 
fatal, for those involved.

"People involved in the production of marijuana have been known to secure 
their crop in various ways," he said.

"It's not uncommon to find various weapons, including firearms, at these 
operations."

Thiessen said the thieves - usually young men in their teens or early 20s - 
are "playing with fire" and could find themselves in a more dangerous 
situation than they anticipated.
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