COUNTRY-WIDE RAIDS NET 40 B.C. GROW-OPS

But It's Feared Growers Merely Moving East

Forty down, 15,000 to go.

Local police agencies swept into 40 marijuana grow-ops yesterday as a part
of a national "Operation Greensweep."

"I believe we are pressing forward," said Insp. Kash Heed, who estimated
there are "up to 15,000 grow-ops in the Lower Mainland. "I'm getting that
from anecdotal evidence."

Unfortunately, the anecdotes add up to moving the problem, not eradicating it.

Vancouver's crackdown seems to have moved the criminals east. Many of the
Eastern Canada busts involve Vancouver residents who have set up shop where
things are not so hot.

"A lot of the people they're catching are from Vancouver," said Sgt. Rollie
Woods, in the process of busting two grow-ops on Inverness Street. "I'd
like to think we're moving them out of Vancouver."

The bulk of yesterday's raids were conducted in Ontario where more than 100
homes were targeted. Vancouver police hoped to take down 20 grow-ops,
while Burnaby and Richmond had more modest goals.

"It's being run by organized crime, Asian crime, and traditional crime."

In Quebec, 22 homes were raided, while other raids took place in Calgary,
Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, and Nova Scotia.

About 500 officers from more than 20 agencies were involved in the raids.