POLICE SEARCHING FOR DOPE WITH EYE IN THE SKY

Anyone growing marijuana outdoors in the Cowichan Valley may want to
look up, way up.

RCMP and Canadian Forces helicopters from CFB Comox are taking to the
skies as part of an Island-wide project to find and destroy outdoor
drug operations.

Officers working on the project have already dismantled a 100-plant
grow operation on Crown land on northern Vancouver Island as a result
of air patrols.

Keen eyes in the sky and a lucky flight path led to the end of an
outdoor marijuana grow operation in Mill Bay in July. A police
helicopter on its way from Comox to Oak Bay's centennial celebration
spotted a suspicious shade of green near Kilmalu Road and more than
500 pot plants were later found on the property.

The annual project helps police find outdoor grow operations they may
not otherwise be able to find because they are concealed from the
ground or in such remote locations.

The Saanich Police Department and Victoria Police Department are also
part of the project.

"These helicopters are everywhere. Are they coming to the Cowichan
Valley? They are everywhere," said Constable Darren Lagan.

Formerly of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment, Lagan is now
working out of Nanaimo with the RCMP Drug and Organized Crime
Awareness Service.

Along with fuelling organized crime, outdoor marijuana production can
have serious consequences for the environment, said Lagan, including
diverted streams for irrigation, the use of fertilizers and
pesticides and garbage.

"The impact this illegal activity has on our communities goes beyond
its resulting supply of street level drugs, to include environmental
damage and destruction," he said.