Pubdate: Fri, 31 Aug 2007
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Matthew Little, The Province
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada)

ISLAND COPS UNCOVER THOUSANDS OF POT PLANTS

Police Say This Summer's Program, the Eighth, Pulled in 'The Largest Haul'

VICTORIA -- RCMP say getting high is an effective way to find pot
plants.

Over nine days, police on Vancouver Island found 19,000 marijuana
plants by using Canadian military pilots to fly officers to about 350
"remote and challenging locations" where pot was being grown on Crown
land, said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Greg Cox.

The summer marijuana eradication program wrapped up this week. It's
the eighth year for the annual project.

The project "was very successful," said Cox. "To the best of my
knowledge, this is the largest haul. Some of these [grow operations]
are very visible."

Police used three Sea King helicopters staffed with military crews and
police, and one RCMP helicopter.

The highest concentration of grow-ops was in the Sayward area north of
Campbell River. Cox speculated the area is used because it is less
populated. In total, officers raided about 350 Crown-land grow sites.
The plants were all destroyed on scene.

Cox wouldn't say how they were destroyed but said chemicals were not
used. He said the cost of the operation is still being tallied but,
"The cost . . . is eclipsed by the value of the product we've taken
off the street, not to mention the damage it does to our
communities."

Cox said each plant could produce between 500 to 1,000 marijuana
cigarettes which have a street value of $5 each. If each plant
produced 750 cigarettes the street value could reach $71 million.

"We believe that the sale of eradicated marijuana would have profited
organized crime groups, in turn providing them funds for other serious
criminal activities in our communities," he said. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake