VIOLENT 'GROW RIPS' ON THE RISE

Police Alarmed At Number Of Break-Ins By Suspects Looking For Pot

The homes of innocent people are being broken into with increasing
regularity by suspects who are looking to rip off marijuana growing
operations, and police believe it is becoming a disturbing crime trend.

There were three break-ins early Friday in Surrey by a group of young men
who police believe were looking to steal marijuana plants.

And, in the past month, there have been at least 13 "grow rips" or
attempted "grow rips" in Surrey.

In Richmond, there have been at least four and although Vancouver police
did not have statistics Friday, Constable Sarah Bloor said break-ins where
marijuana is the motivation are not uncommon.

"It's definitely on the increase," said Surrey RCMP Constable Tim Shields,
"because it's an easy way for criminals to obtain marijuana that they
didn't have to invest in."

But it seems as though criminals are getting lazier about making sure
they're targeting a home with a growing operation and are increasingly
breaking into the homes of innocent people.

Of 14 recent grow rips that Surrey and Richmond RCMP have details of,
nearly half involved criminals targeting a home that had no growing operation.

Friday morning's spate of three marijuana-motivated break-ins in Surrey
targeted two innocent homes before the suspects found what they were
looking for at the third home.

During the first break in, just after 4 a.m., the suspects covered their
faces with hoods and kicked in the door, looking for marijuana. None was found.

They tried again at 5:20 a.m., kicking in the door of another home and
pepper spraying a 65-year-old man. The resident pulled out a handgun and
the suspects fled. Police found no marijuana in the home.

At 6:50 a.m., the three suspects found a home with a growing operation but
got into a fight with the 68-year-old pot grower and shot him before
fleeing. The grower suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

It appears the same suspects also tried to pull off a "grow rip" early
Thursday but were unsuccessful. At 4:45 a.m., three men broke into a home
and pepper-sprayed a 48-year-old resident, but did not find any marijuana.

Shields said it is not entirely clear why the suspects targeted the homes
they did, but said in two of the three incidents where innocent people were
involved, the victims were Asian and all the homes had bars on their windows.

Shields said it is likely the recent attempted "grow rips" in Surrey are
the result of orders being given to the suspects from a dealer.

"They'll go do the kick-in, grab the marijuana and bring it back to a
broker and it's part of a larger criminal organization," Shields said.
"That could be the case with these suspects."

Whatever the scenario, Shields said this particular group of men -- who
have all been described as at least six feet tall and more than 200 pounds
- -- are especially dangerous.

"We need to see these guys caught," Shields said.

"They're bold, they have a firearm, they've used it and we need a tip from
the public to catch these guys."

While there appears to be an increasing number of botched "grow rips" in
the Lower Mainland where innocent people are involved, Shields said the
number of successful marijuana rip-offs is perhaps higher than anyone knows
because the majority of them are never reported to police.

"We estimate that only one in five 'grow rips' are reported to police,"
Shields said.

In Vancouver last year, police dismantled 359 growing operations between
January and November.

In Surrey, 658 growing operations were reported to police in 2002 and the
RCMP executed search warrants on 156 of them.

Police have been cautioning the public about the dangers of growing
operations for years, but this byproduct of the practice is one of the more
dangerous.

Bloor says the potential for violent, botched "grow rips" increases in
neighbourhoods where there is an existing growing operation.

"It's a huge risk in having a grow operation -- the risk that is posed to
the community or perhaps another resident next door," Bloor said.

Margaret Bruce lives down the street from what was a growing operation in
Richmond, but she didn't find out about it or last month's botched "grow
rip" until a reporter called her Friday.

Bruce lives on the same block of Odlin Road where a group of masked men
broke into a family home Dec. 15 believing there was a growing operation
inside. The residents were assaulted and the suspects fled after they
realized there was no pot inside.

Nor did she hear about a second break-in on her street two weeks later in
which the suspects did find marijuana.

"The police don't inform us," said the grandmother of 10.

"I had no idea there was a grow-op on this street."

Even though she didn't know until Friday, Bruce said she was not shocked to
hear about it.

"It doesn't surprise me. [Grow operations] are in every neighbourhood," she
said.

Looking for Patterns in Home Invasions

Dec. 15

An innocent family victimized in their home in the 9700 block of Odlin in
Richmond.

Dec. 29

Another residence in 9700 block Odlin targeted. This time the people living
in the house do have a grow op and they are assaulted.

Jan. 2

7 p.m.: Four people wearing masks force their way into a home in 5000 block
of Linfield Gate, Richmond. Owner, a 48-year-old Asian man, pepper sprayed
and his wife forced to floor. Teenage son ordered to take them to marijuana
grow-op the intruders said -- mistakenly -- was in the house. The intruders
stole items and fled in a vehicle. The residents had recently moved into
the house, which was in fact a former grow op.

Jan. 4.

11:45 p.m.: Four intruders -- believed to be the same ones as on Jan. 2 --
break into a home at 8420 Spires Rd. The 26-year-old male resident flees
and the suspects steal some marijuana plants being grown on the premises.
The resident was to be charged with drug-related offences.

Jan. 8

4:45 a.m.: Three white male suspects force open front door of a house
located in the 6600 block of 150th Street in Surrey. The suspects pepper
spray the 48-year-old male resident. One suspect armed with a handgun.
Again, it appears they are looking for a grow operation, but none is found.
They flee by car when the house alarm goes off.

Jan. 9

4:08 a.m.: Three men with hooded faces kick open front door of a house
located in 11300 block of Loughren Drive, Surrey. When officers arrive both
the suspects and the occupant of the home are gone, but it appeared that
pepper spray had been used inside the home. A neighbour reports seeing the
victim leave in a car prior to police arrival. It appears the suspects were
looking for a marijuana grow operation, but no marijuana was located.

5:21 a.m.: Three men, again hooded, kick down front door of home located in
15100 block of 76 Avenue, Surrey. The suspects pepper spray the 65-year-old
male resident but flee when he produces his own handgun, which he does not
fire. The suspects are described as being at least six feet tall and over
200 pounds. They appeared to be looking for a grow op, but the house did
not contain one.

6:51 a.m.: Three while males break into a home located west of the Port
Mann Bridge, apparently looking for a grow op. Scuffle ensures with
68-year-old man who lives there with his wife and a child; the man is shot
by the suspects and remains in hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
No suspects but police were to execute a search warrant to dismantle the
grow operation found inside the home.