POT BUSTS KEEP MOUNTIES BUSY

Coquitlam RCMP's green team seized more than 800 pot plants from
three properties this week and last.

The most recent bust happened Monday when the Marijuana Enforcement
Team (MET) executed a warrant on a 3,100-square foot home in
Coquitlam that reportedly had 617 marijuana plants in the basement
and an electrical bypass in the garage.

Two men -- a 35-year-old tenant and a 35-year-old Vancouver resident
- -- face charges of cultivation of marijuana.

Last Saturday, MET also visited a Port Coquitlam home to follow a
tip from BC Hydro about suspected theft of power. Inside the
3,000-sq. ft. home, police allegedly found three grow rooms with 103
pot plants in the basement.

The home appeared to be used exclusively for a grow operation as
holes were cut in the walls, the fireplace was sealed, windows were
boarded up, and light switches and lights were connected to timers,
Coquitlam RCMP Const. Dave Babineau said.

A man and woman, both 49, face charges.

And last Tuesday (Sept. 19), MET pulled 103 pot plants from a
cornfield, located near a PoCo home. Water hoses and chemicals were
also seized, Babineau said. The 33-year-old tenant faces charges.

Babineau said grow ops "are closely linked to organized crime and
attract criminals and violence." He requests residents to call
Coquitlam RCMP to report possible pot farms in neighbourhoods.