Pubdate: Tue, 24 Feb 2004
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2004, Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Laura Czekaj

LAX LAWS ATTRACT GROW-OP GANGS

Police forces on both sides of the Ottawa River say a large number of 
marijuana grow ops are being run by crooks with links to Asian organized 
crime. "The majority of the people that we see operating the grow ops in 
any type of organized fashion are Asians," said Ottawa police drug section 
Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault.

In 2003, Ottawa police busted 41 grow ops, seizing more than $14 million 
worth of the illegal drug. So far this year, the force has shut down close 
to a dozen grow ops. In Ontario, grow ops are big business, worth an 
estimated $13 billion a year.

Although there can be loose organizations running more than one operation, 
police say the best organized operations are those run by Vietnamese and 
other members of the Asian community.

And police in Gatineau are seeing the same trend.

Gatineau police Lieut. Yves Martel said police have raided seven marijuana 
grow ops run by Asians in the past 13 months.

99% Asian

"There is a pattern in the last three years showing us that when we are 
talking about rented houses, converted for stealing electricity and 
marijuana plantations, almost all the time, 99% of the cases we are 
arresting Asian people," Martel said.

Last week, two Vietnamese men connected to two grow ops were arrested and 
charged after raids by Gatineau police. Last month, eight Vietnamese people 
were charged after police raided two different grow ops in Gatineau.

Sgt. Mike Laviolette, of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada, says 
Vietnamese-based organized crime locally and across the country has 
"thrived" with marijuana grow ops for the past two years.

"We have seen a large influx nationally of Vietnamese Australians coming in 
from Australia to crop-sit here in Canada," he said. "It's a large 
international network."

But the Vietnamese aren't the only players in the lucrative marijuana 
trade, Laviolette says.

"Everybody is into it, because there is just so much money to be made," he 
said. "Where we expected to see a lot of infighting is within the different 
organized crime groups. There really isn't because there is a big enough 
market for everyone."

Sold In U.S.

Laviolette said the bulk of Canada's marijuana is sold in the U.S., where 
organized crime groups are exploiting traditional markets they had for 
heroin or cocaine.

And running grow ops in Canada is a less risky proposition than it is in 
the U.S. "They try it in the States, they are going to jail for a very long 
time. Here, politically, it's not considered as serious an offence."

The penalty for running a grow op differs in each province, although Quebec 
courts tend to hand out the harshest sentences.

Last week, in an effort to set an example in the wake of seven marijuana 
grow op busts involving Asians since January, a Gatineau judge sentenced an 
Asian man to 15 months in jail.

Next month, Ontario police chiefs and provincial officials will meet to 
discuss ways to tackle the booming grow op business.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman