RCMP ZERO IN ON POT GROWING

Mission RCMP officers are gunning for marijuana grow operation owners
within the district.

They proved that Friday, when they executed search warrants on six
residences throughout the District of Mission - after having seized
several hundred marijuana plants, firearms and related grow equipment
from five other pot grow operations last week.

Although police always rate marijuana grow operations as important,
the recent focus on taking them down was sparked by three violent home
invasions in Mission last week, which RCMP believe were linked to pot
growing operations.

"In the Lower Mainland and Mission, we often get criminals who are
opportunistic," said E Division spokesman Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre, who
was in Mission Friday.

"These criminals will try to do grow rips [marijuana grow operation
rip-offs] and more often than not, they get the wrong address."

Mission's Jesse Grabinsky, 23, faces several charges in relation to at
least one of the home invasions.

On Friday, Mission RCMP officers, aided by some Emergency Response
Team members, searched six separate residences and found, among
thousands of marijuana plants and quantities of dried pot, a pitt
bull, a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and an extremely dangerous hydro
electrical bypass.

"At one [of the houses] - most were in a state of disarray - police
found a hydro electrical bypass. There was a huge web of tangled wires
. . . it was a total fire hazard," Lemaitre said.

"Insp. [Pat] Walsh has clearly said he won't tolerate this kind of
criminal activity and that he is committed to keeping Mission a safe
place to live, work and play," Lemaitre said of Mission's RCMP
detachment head, to explain why the recent crackdown happened.

Lemaitre said the marijuana police find is seldom for personal
use.

"This pot is meant for export and sale and that comes back to Canada
in the way of cocaine and firearms," Lemaitre said, pointing to the
recent arrest of a suspected gun smuggler at the Aldergrove border
crossing.

Lemaitre said that, to further increase profit margins, criminals will
turn the cocaine they get into crack, which sells for a lower price
but creates more addicts.

"What happens is, as most people know, you get people addicted with no
means of income and property crime goes up," he said.

"Insp. Walsh's message is clear - marijuana grow operations will not
be tolerated. Residents don't want them in their neighbourhoods; we
don't want them, period."

Lemaitre encouraged anyone who knows or suspects any kind of
suspicious activity where drug grow operations or firearms are
concerned to call Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161 or Crimestoppers at
1-800-222-8477.