'DRAMATIC INCREASE' IN GROW-OPS, RELATED VIOLENCE

Cornwall - A deadly shooting at a marijuana grow-op last week is part
of a growing crime wave sweeping across the region, police said Monday.

"We have certainly seen a dramatic increase in this type of activity
across Ontario," said Det. Sgt. Paul Henry, of the Ontario Provincial
Police's drug enforcement section. "We're seeing larger grows
throughout the province, and when you have big profits you get links
to organized crime."

On Friday afternoon, police found the body of 33-year-old Patrick
Lavoie at a property on Kenyon Concession Road 5 near Greenfield,
just southeast of Maxville. The Montreal man is believed to have had
a connection to a grow-op police located on the property.

Two men are in hospital in Ottawa with serious injuries in relation
to the shooting, while two other Quebec men are charged with a
variety of drug-related offences related to the incident.

The shooting is part of an increase in violent crimes in the area
related to the cultivation of a drug that can net criminals a lot of cash.

"Locally, you can buy of pound of marijuana for about $2,000," said
Henry. "But when it gets across the border, the price goes way up."

Henry said a pound of Ontario or Quebec bud can net about $3,500 U.S.
in places like upstate New York; in cities such as Los Angeles, the
same amount can sell for as much as double that price.

"This is a very profitable industry," said Henry, who admitted the
activity has increased "very significantly" in recent years. "The
amount of violence you will see in relation to these types of crimes
rises proportionally with the dollar value of the crime."

A number of police agencies work alongside the OPP in fighting the
trend, including the RCMP.

Sgt. Michael Harvey has been with the local RCMP detachment for
several years, and he does agree there is a high level of
drug-related activity in the region.

"It is a crime-rich area here," he said. "When you're talking about
organized crime like we know we have in relation to marijuana grows,
we know the groups are able to finance themselves pretty well.

"It's very attractive to them."

Harvey said since the beginning of the year, regional police forces
have seized about 400 kilograms of marijuana and more than $1.3
million in a series of contraband-related busts.

"The money is almost entirely for marijuana buys," said Harvey. "(The
money) is coming north, and we know what it's being used for - to buy
the marijuana that will be shipped south."

Harvey said while it's unclear how much of the U.S.-bound product is
actually grown in the Cornwall area, most of the dope is packaged in Quebec.

"We know it's packaged in Montreal because we recognize the
air-tight, sealed bags," he said. "It's quite probable the marijuana
is being grown in Ontario and taken to Montreal to be packaged."

Harvey pointed to the fact two men charged in relation to Friday's
grow-op - [Name redacted], 31, and [Name redacted], 21 - have been
identified as being from the Montreal area as an indication of
cross-border operations.

He also said it's no surprise to anyone the Cornwall area is a prime
location for criminals looking to transport marijuana across to the
United States.

"This is the spot for all sorts of contraband products to cross the
border," said Harvey. "We know there is a network of smugglers
working in the area, and we are seeing more and more incidents
involving dangerous activity all the time."

Police say more than half of all the marijuana seized in Canada in
2004 was produced in Quebec. During that year, officers seized
1,500,000 plants across the country, 761,000 of which came from Quebec.

In Ontario, officers took 256,000 plants, while in British Columbia
the seizures were in the area of about 458,000 plants.

"We don't have all the numbers for 2005 yet, but there's no doubt it
will be even higher," said RCMP Sgt. Denis Pelletier, co-ordinator of
the force's marijuana grow-op unit. "I would say we'll be looking at
close to 2 million plants for 2005."

With an increase in product comes an increase in the amount of crime
with which a number of police forces must contend.

"The profit for these groups is enormous, and it's growing," said
Henry. "That's why organized crime is growing. It's a significant problem."

"We have certainly seen a dramatic increase in this type of activity
across Ontario."