POT RAID LEAVES POLICE EMPTY-HANDED

No Growing Operation, But Strong Smell Of Marijuana, Unapologetic
Police Say

VANCOUVER - An east Vancouver woman who speaks litle English got a
shock this week when police kicked down her door, pointed a gun at her
and told her to sit on the floor while officers raided her home,
looking for a marijuana-growing operation.

"They searched for marijuana but came to the wrong house," the woman's
nephew, Wayne Chen, said Thursday. "They didn't find anything."

Police also handcuffed a Mandarin-speaking Chinese student living in
the basement of the home in the 7700-block of Monroe Crescent, he said.

Vancouver police Const. Howard Chow confirmed that no marijuana was
found, but said police do not believe they got the wrong house.

Two men fled out a back door as police arrived, he said. The men were
detained but not charged.

He said police found a strong smell of marijuana in the basement and
what appeared to be growing equipment in a shed on the property.

He said police had found a growing operation at the same address in
2004, when 950 plants were seized. (Property records show the Chens
bought the house in March 2005.)

"The police execute 200 [marijuana-growing operation] search warrants
a year," Chow said. "In less than one per cent, we don't find marijuana."

Police searched the home around noon Wednesday. "They left without
apologizing," Chen said.

His aunt Ying Chen lives at the house with her husband Yong Chen, who
was away at work at the time, said the nephew. "He's an honest citizen
who works two jobs -- delivering cakes and parking security at night.
He doesn't get home until 10:30."

He said he stayed with his aunt until his uncle got home from work. He
also helped call the city to see if city staff would repair the door.
"They said to fix it and send the bill to the city," he said.

The couple were afraid because the front door of their home was wide
open. "They couldn't sleep all night."

The Chens came to Canada from China about 10 years ago. They have a
son who graduated from the University of B.C. and now is doing his
master's degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the
nephew said.

Yong Chen met with police Thursday to discuss the matter.

The Vancouver police department's Chow said three investigators had
checked the information leading to the search warrant being authorized
by a judge.