Pubdate: Mon, 08 Apr 2013
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/5NyOACet
Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: Pat Bulmer

MEDICAL GROW-OPS BUSTED FOR TOO MANY PLANTS

Legal grow-ops being used as a cover for illegal marijuana growing 
made up almost half a giant RCMP drug bust, police revealed on Monday.

Sixteen search warrants were executed on houses and outbuildings at 
residential properties in Kelowna, Lake Country, Ellison and Joe Rich 
earlier this year.

Police seized 10,063 plants, approximately 100 pounds of dried 
marijuana bud, more than 14 grams of heroin, six grams of crack 
cocaine, motorcycle gang paraphernalia from one residence, firearms, 
cash and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of grow equipment and 
"offence-related" property, RCMP Const. Kris Clark said during a 
Monday morning press conference at the Kelowna detachment.

Seven of the grow operations had personal-use, medical-marijuana 
licences, but only one was growing within its prescribed limit, Clark said.

The legal grow-ops had connections to other grow-ops and growers, he 
said. Clark said growers are using medical-marijuana licences to 
"mask" illegal grow-ops. "They're trying to confuse law enforcement."

The investigation is still ongoing and charges have not been laid yet 
in all cases, said Clark, who didn't have numbers available on the 
number of current or expected charges.

Police say the recent raids will have at least a short-term impact on 
Kelowna's drug trade.

"In the short term, it has ripple effects throughout the community," 
said Clark. "Word on the street was already out. A lot of people were 
worried. It did have an impact."

Clark explained growing infrastructure was seized from the properties 
and it will take some time for those growers to get up and running 
again. "They have to start over."

Police also used the bust to warn landlords about the risks of 
grow-ops in their rental properties. One landlord, who failed to 
regularly inspect his rental property now faces $200,000 in repairs 
and inspections before the residence can be occupied again. A Do Not 
Occupy sign has been placed on its door.

The raids involved the RCMP drug section, special enforcement teams, 
target teams, property crime units and general duty members coming 
together as a "green team." It's part of a national RCMP strategy, 
called the Marijuana Grow Initiative, to target illegal grow-ops.

Organized crime uses grow-ops such as these to fund their 
organizations, said Clark.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom