Pubdate: Tue, 09 Sep 2014
Source: Shoreline Beacon (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Shoreline Beacon
Contact: http://www.shorelinebeacon.com/letters
Website: http://www.shorelinebeacon.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3650
Author: Scott Dunn
Page: 17

POLICE AIR SEARCH FINDS PLENTY OF POT

It's been a good year for growing marijuana out-of-doors in
GreyBruce.

So says RCMP Const. Mark Schagena, who co-ordinated a pot
search-and-destroy mission Aug. 18-21 largely in Grey-Bruce. Police
from West Grey, Saugeen Shores, members of the OPP and a Canadian
Forces Griffin helicopter crew took part, he said by phone Wednesday
after he issued a news release.

Officers surveyed farm fields by air, then messaged officers on the
ground via iPads. After police obtained consent from the property
owners, or obtained warrants if required, they entered the properties
and removed the pot plants. There were 4,600 plants from 100 sites
pulled, chopped up and buried, Schagena said.

"It was a good crop. There was a number of plants. We got them early
enough that a lot of them hadn't started budding yet," he said.

In a search south of Grey-Bruce, police also discovered "dwarf" pot
plants growing in rows amid a soybean field east of Exeter. Schangena
said this variety of pot has been spotted over the past few years but
he hasn't seen it himself in the five years he's been involved in the
eradication program.

"They're growing a shorter version of the plant and then they're tying
it down so that it almost runs along the ground. It doesn't stick up
as high," Schangena said. Marijuana plants typically grow to nearly
two metres tall, he said.

No charges were laid during the blitz. Some plants were in the middle
of farm fields and others were on Crown land, Schagena said. The
difficulty of proving ownership of the plants makes obtaining
convictions on charges difficult, he said.

This annual police search for outdoor marijuana growing operations
also discovered three licensed medical marijuana grow-ops, Schagena
noted. Police confirmed the number of plants growing didn't exceed the
number permitted on the license, he said.

Police rely on tips to help narrow the search. The season for harvest
marijuana plants will continue until the first frost.

To report a suspected marijuana grow-op, Schagena suggested people
could call Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 or call him at the
Kitchener detachment of the RCMP at (519) 8963542 ext. 278.
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