Budding Problem

Californian cops know the most potent pot on their local drug scene
comes from the basements of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

And they knew it had to happen.

Growers down there are starting to emulate the experts in Calgary's
drug underworld, by trying to grow their marijuana indoors in
hydroponic grow operations, hoping to match the Calgary perfection.

Which is where Calgary city police drug unit officers, Det. Pat
Tetley, 46, and Det. Steve Walton, 42, are about to make a difference.

They'll soon be travelling to Los Angeles to give presentations to a
seminar of 5,000 law enforcement officers on how to detect and bust up
indoor hydroponic pot operations.

In the past four years, Tetley and Walton have been attending the
California Narcotic Officers Association training institute -- which
has been a brain-storming think-tank for drug enforcement officers for
more than 30 years.

Previously, the pair were learning from the experts.

Now, they're returning as experts to teach others.

"Historically, California had to deal with outdoor marijuana growing
operations, but now they're being inundated with indoor operations,"
said Walton.

Crooks are going indoors because the cops are hitting their outdoor
grows too hard.

"They asked us to take our expertise down to them," said
Walton.

Calgary's home-grown pot has turned up as far south as Arizona, where
it's so potent, traffickers in the U.S. will trade 1 lb. of Calgary
bud marijuana for 1 lb. of cocaine.

Tetley, a 23-year veteran, and Walton, a 21-year veteran, will spend a
week teaching law officers how to bust the indoor pot growing operations.