CLAMPING DOWN ON GROW OPS

For the Kelowna RCMP, the link between marijuana and organized crime
is clear.

And to break that link, local police are setting their sights on area
marijuana growing operations at every level.

To help them do that, police officers are asking the public for tips
about any marijuana growing operations they suspect in the Central
Okanagan.

"These grows are clearly a threat to society," said Kelowna RCMP
Const. Annie Linteau.

"Organized crime knows no boundaries."

And she is urging members of the public to use the anonymous Crime
Stoppers tip line if they are concerned about their safety in relaying
information to the police.

The renewed focus on marijuana growing operations follows last year's
failed attempt by the local Crime Stopper's organization to raise
money to pay police officers to investigate the many tips it receives
on the line each month.

Many of those tips are about suspected marijuana grow-ops in the
Central Okanagan.

While the plan to pay police for tip investigations was supported by
the local RCMP, it was nixed by the provincial solicitor-general.

But now, with manpower shortages addressed by the Kelowna detachment
and a focus in recent months on street-level drug trafficking in the
downtown core, members of the public are being called upon to report
any suspicious drug activity in their neighbourhoods.

Linteau said all grow-op tips are followed up on and actively
investigated.

According to the RCMP, marijuana growing here fuels other organized
crime efforts by raising money to commit crimes. To illustrate her
point, Linteau displayed 15 large bags of marijuana to reporters at
Monday's weekly RCMP news briefing. She said they were taken from a
single grow operation that was discovered by police last week.

Anyone with information about drug activity is asked to call the RCMP.