Pubdate: Tue, 26 Jul 2005
Source: Tribune, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005, Osprey Media Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wellandtribune.ca/webapp/sitepages/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2807
Author: Angus Scott, Tribune Staff 	
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

GROWING MENACE

Marijuana Grow Ops Becoming More Deadly: Police

WELLAND - Guns and drugs are becoming an increasingly worrisome combination 
for police.

"People think of marijuana as a softer drug and production of it as a 
victimless crime," said Welland Staff Sgt. Mark Lightfoot.

"But there is a growing danger associated with it."

Police in Welland recently executed a search warrant at a marijuana growing 
operation and discovered a large cache of weapons, including swords, axes, 
a cleaver and several firearms, one of which was a loaded sawed-off shotgun 
found underneath a bed.

The discovery of such a large collection of weapons at a marijuana grow is 
unusual, said Det. Dan Marr, of the NRP's morality unit.

"We don't generally see large numbers of firearms at grows," said Marr. "We 
do seem to find a lot of bats and knives. For other types of search 
warrants, cocaine for example, we are coming across firearms."

Most of the time, the weapons that are found seem to be for use against 
potential thieves, said Marr.

While raiding growing operations doesn't always carry the risk of being met 
with deadly force from a firearm, it does carry other risks, said Marr, 
particularly in the form of booby traps.

"The traps are set more to protect the crops from people who might be 
trying to rip the grower off," said Marr.

Police run the risk of becoming victims of such traps, however. Officers on 
the drug and morality units who carry out drug-related search warrants 
receive special training to enable them to spot such traps.

"The training has changed," said Marr.

So has the equipment.

"It used to be we would go in wearing jeans and a T-shirt," said Marr.

Now officers wear protective gear, including masks to protect officers 
against the danger of black mould.

Officers in London last year found a grow operation which had a tripwire 
set up, which, if set off, would fire a knee-high shotgun at the intruder.

Marr said outdoor traps, such as planks of wood studded with nails, are a 
common danger at outdoor grows in back fields.

Lightfoot has always seen harder drugs as a greater problem for society and 
law enforcement.

"To me, cocaine is the most dangerous drug out there," said Lightfoot.

Its use often leads to other crime, such as break and enters, robberies and 
other violence.

But police are seeing an increasing level of danger associated with marijuana.

"There's a lot of money involved in these operations, and the growers are 
arming themselves, they're booby-trapping their operations," said Lightfoot.

"That's where the real danger is to society and to police. My opinion is 
they're more afraid of each other, of the other druggies, than they are of 
police."

"People's thoughts on marijuana is it's obviously different from the harder 
drugs we encounter," said Marr. "But the bigger picture is it helps fund 
and support organized crime operations. There is a lot of money to be made."

Officers who execute search warrants are more aware of the potential 
dangers they face, said Lightfoot.

"Execution of a search warrant is not something that's just thrown 
together," he said.

"There is a lot of planning that takes place. We have to take a 
military-style approach."

For police, the problem is that there's often no indication of what may lie 
in wait for them when they enter a building.

"There is generally no indication if there's weaponry and what's inside," 
he said. "If we had an indication of weapons beforehand, we'd use the 
tactical unit."

Police are not always the first responders going into a building. Grow 
operations are sometimes discovered by accident, through fires or other means.

"We receive training to recognize booby traps," said Lightfoot. "But 
firefighters are sometimes going in before us. The other thing is, a lot of 
these places are often wired by backyard electricians. The potential for 
fire is great."

That poses a risk to not only police, but also residents.

"Even if it's not booby-trapped, it's a dangerous situation dismantling a 
live grow," said Lightfoot.

Marr said there is also danger of electrocution, as there are electrical 
traps, and panels set up behind front doors. Grow operations involve lots 
of water, which increases the risk of electrocution.

"If you're smacking down a door, and there's an electrical panel behind it, 
you're coming in and charging through those live wires," said Marr.

Health risks are posed by the black mould which often accompanies grow 
operations.

"The black mould is becoming a major health issue," he said. "There are all 
sorts of mould damages in these homes and it can be dangerous to inhale it."

Marr believes there are no rules forcing homeowners to disclose their 
residence once housed a grow op, as there are in the States.

"We get calls from real estate agents all the time who have heard a home is 
a grow op," said Marr. "Nobody wants a home that has been used as a grow op."

Marr said the marijuana growing industry is evolving, shifting the way it 
operates to avoid detection.

Where police used to see 1,000 plants located in a single home, growers are 
now splitting crops up into several locations with 200 plants in each.

Smaller operations are harder to detect because they don't smell as 
strongly and they require less electricity.

"We haven't seen as much theft of hydro, because these growers aren't 
stealing it, they're paying the hydro bills," said Marr. "Because the grow 
op is smaller, energy use isn't as noticeable. It's harder to tell what's 
going on."

While weapons haven't been a regular feature found at grow ops, Marr said 
police are aware they could be there.

Lightfoot said police need public help in identifying grow ops.

"We are constantly asking for vigilance on the part of city residents," he 
said. "We are all responsible for policing our community."

Lightfoot said people should watch for suspicious activity and if they see 
something unusual, report it to police.

"Most people have a good sense of what's going on in their community," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom