ARE WE THE GROW-OP CENTRE OF YORK?

More marijuana grow-ops were found in Vaughan last year than in any
of York Region's eight municipalities, police have revealed.

According to statistics obtained from York's drugs and vice
enforcement unit, 23 of the 63 grow-ops dismantled in the region were
in Vaughan in 2007. Of the 19,310 total plants seized, Vaughan busts
produced 8,526 seized plants.

Each plant has a street value of about $1,000.

The continued presence of marijuana grow-ops is a concern in all
parts of the region, particularly in the southern areas, including
Vaughan and Markham, York Detective Dieter Boheim said.

The city's booming real estate industry is one attraction for illegal
marijuana growers, he said

"What you definitely need for an indoor grow-op is a house," Boheim
said. "So you've got to start off with, 'What's the easiest way for
me to get a house?' "

For this reason, police often discover real estate insiders are in
cahoots with homebuyers or renters looking for an inconspicuous house
in which they can cultivate marijuana, he said.

"Real estate agents know what it's all about," Boheim said. "they
probably get a cut."

New subdivisions and an increasingly diverse population in Vaughan
also contribute to the ease with which a grow-op can function, he said.

"Now, more and more neighbours don't communicate so it's a lot easier
for these people to hide," Boheim said.

Grow houses can have a detrimental effect on neighbourhoods, as it is
common for growers to steal hydro. Amateur rewiring of the home's
electrical system is also a dangerous fire hazard.

Most recently, police investigating a drug trafficking operation
seized a Maple home after a grow-op was discovered within. Several
York Region residents were arrested on drug charges following the
investigation, including two Toronto police officers.

That investigation came on the heels of another bust announced in May
involving a multimillion-dollar marijuana enterprise in which
grow-ops were discovered at three Vaughan residences. That two-year
investigation, dubbed Project Tropical Storm, netted over 1,100
marijuana plants in Vaughan alone.