Pubdate: Wed, 06 Feb 2002
Source: Clinton News-Record (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002 Clinton News-Record
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/1725
Website: http://www.clintonnewsrecord.com/
Author: David Emslie

POLICE SEIZE OVER $800,000 IN MARIJUANA DURING OPERATION GREEN SWEEP

Police across Canada went on the hunt for indoor marijuana growing 
operations last week, and Operation Green Sweep made a mark in this area, 
as over $800,000 of marijuana was seized in Huron and Perth Counties.

According to a release from the Huron OPP, Perth and Huron County OPP 
officers, along with OPP Drug Enforcement Section - London, Stratford City 
Police Service, and Western Region ERT and Identification Unit executed two 
warrants in Huron and Perth as part of the national Operation Green Sweep.

"A total of 805 marijuana plants were seized with an estimated value of 
$805,000, along with $70,000 in growing equipment and a vehicle," the 
release stated.

Although the official day for Operation Green Sweep was Jan. 30, Senior 
Constable Don Shrophsall, Community Services Officer for the Huron OPP, 
explained that the police had to move in more quickly on a site in 
Belgrave, and took down that operation on Jan. 23.

The OPP release states that on that date, the police were involved in a 
drug operation taking place in Belgrave, and on the evening of Jan. 23, 
there was an unusual amount of traffic at the house under surveillance. The 
police took a plate number of a 1990 Mazda van leaving the residence, and 
stopped the vehicle in Clinton at about 8:45 p.m.

"Officers found two males inside the van and several green plastic bags in 
the back section of the vehicle," the OPP release states. "One of the bags 
was split and a green leafy material, suspected cannabis marijuana, was 
located. A search turned up 266 plants and some growing equipment in the 
vehicle. The two men inside the vehicle were arrested and taken to the 
Huron OPP Detachment."

With a search warrant, the police entered the Belgrave home and found an 
additional 170 plants growing. "In total the officers seized 436 plants 
valued at $436,000 plus $18,000 worth of growing equipment and the van was 
seized in the process," the release states.

Two men, a 46-year-old from Toronto and a 24-year-old Finland man, face 
several charges, including possession for the purpose of trafficking, 
production of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, 
possession of property over $1,000 and breaching recognizance.

Shrophsall noted that grow houses are becoming more of a problem in Huron 
County. Where once police found many illegal plants growing outdoors, much 
marijuana is now being grown indoors, he said.

He made note of the number of grow houses police have raided in Huron 
County, including the seizure of almost $100,000 worth of marijuana from a 
Winter Court residence just before Christmas. Aside from the recent 
Belgrave find, he said in the last little while another grow house was 
found in that village, as were one just outside Wingham, two in Howick 
Township, one in both Ashfield and Colborne Townships, two in Exeter, one 
in Hensall, and one in each of Stephen and Hay Townships.

"In January of this year, we've done three already. Three warrants were 
executed in January," he said.

Marijuana growers have made many advancements in the potency of their 
products. The active ingredient in the plants, or the part which gives the 
high, is THC, and Shropshall noted that in some of the plants seized from 
homes in Huron County, the THC level has been 25 per cent. "Back in the 
'60s, it was three per cent," he said.

Plants being grown indoors, he said, are not giant, but measure from four 
to six feet in height. However, he said, the buds on the plant are thicker 
and heavier, and these buds are being taken from the plants and sold 
separately.

Shropshall said that one plant grown outdoors last year was so heavy and 
thick that its product was valued at $5,000. Outdoors, he continued, 
growers can only get off one crop a year, but in grow houses, they can get 
three. "It's big business," he said.

Houses used by growers, the senior constable noted, are planted from top to 
bottom. "They're coming in and setting them up as businesses," he said.

There are a number of signs neighbours can watch for if they think a home 
might be set up as a grow house (see sidebar story), but one indicator may 
be that there is no one constantly living in the home. "They do not live 
there," Shropshall said of the grow houses, adding that for a time there 
will be very little traffic, and then when plants are to be harvested, 
there will be an increase of traffic.

The business of growing marijuana, he continued, is an international one, 
as was demonstrated by the arrests of the men in Clinton - one from Toronto 
and the other from Finland.

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Signs of marijuana grow houses are many

More and more, people are picking up their phones and giving the police 
assistance.

Senior Constable Don Shropshall, Community Services Officer for the Huron 
OPP, explained that the police are finding that more people are now calling 
in to report crimes. He made special note of Crimestoppers, where those who 
call in do not need to be afraid of being identified.

The police are now asking members of the public to help them find homes 
where marijuana is being grown, known as "grow houses".

There are a number of indicators people can use to spot a grow house, 
according to the OPP.

Following is a list of those signs:

* Look for windows covered in black plastic, heavy curtains or blinds that 
are pressed to windows and tightly shut in order to prevent any light from 
escaping and to prevent outside light from interrupting the artificial 
light cycle. * Condensation on windows is important to look for at these 
homes. Humidity inside a grow room is approximately 65 per cent, with 
temperatures ranging from 80 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. These conditions 
manifest themselves through condensation on windows. * Sounds of electrical 
humming, fans and trickling water can be heard from a grow house. Sounds of 
electrical components in an indoor operation create humming sounds, similar 
to a transformer on a hydro pole, which can sometimes be heard from a 
neighbour's property. Other sounds may include fans running for long 
periods of time and trickling water for days from a home. * Neighbourhood 
residences experience unexplained power surges or power browning with the 
return of normal power flow approximately 12 hours later. * Unusual visitor 
behaviour when compared to the average homes in the area. Neighbours may 
note inconsistencies in visitors coming to and from the residence, ranging 
from no visitors at all - giving the appearance of seclusion - to frequent 
visitors for short periods of time. Visitors will often leave one person 
waiting in the car while another enters the premises. * Some other 
indicators are outdoor and/or indoor lights, radio and/or television 
operating 24 hours a day. Flyers left in the mailbox or on the ground at 
the front door. Children's toys and bikes outside with no children living 
or seen at the residence.

While the police would appreciate hearing from residents who see signs of a 
grow house, they also gave a warning: "Members of the general public are 
asked not to put themselves in any compromising position while obtaining 
information about marijuana grow operations or other criminal activity."
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