LONELY ROAD A GROW-OP MECCA

A rural Cowichan Valley road bordered by just five properties has been
the common ground for three major marijuana grow-op busts in recent
weeks.

Three of the four operations, described as large-scale, sophisticated,
indoor growing setups by North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP, were found on
Mina Road, which runs off the Duncan/Lake Cowichan highway. The
fourth, uncovered as the result of a structure fire, was on King
Street in Crofton.

The latest Mina Road seizure revealed a grow-op in a multi-level
bunker hidden beneath a building. The operation was powered by a
generator, and included 23 600- and 1,000-watt light bulbs. A
34-year-old Duncan man was arrested and released, and will be
appearing in court in January.

Two other grow-ops found on consecutive days on Mina Road properties
are believed to be connected. Three men, two from Duncan and one from
Lake Cowichan, were arrested at one of the operations and will be
appearing in court in December.

Hundreds of plants were found at each site.

The Crofton seizure remains under investigation. No arrests have been
made. Indications are the fire-damaged building contained a multi-room
grow-op and drew power from illegal and unsafe electrical work.

Police said investigation has linked the sort of large operations
found in the Cowichan Valley with the cross-border trade of cocaine
coming from the United States. Since marijuana is exchanged for
cocaine, eliminating large grow-ops indirectly slows the movement of
cocaine into Canada.

Operations of the size being found in the Cowichan Valley are not
meant to supply street-level dealers, but larger markets fed by the
channels of organized crime, police said.