POT ERADICATION TEAMS STORM THE ISLAND

Police officers from the RCMP's outdoor marijuana eradication team
took to the skies in Canadian Forces helicopters as they began their
annual search and destroy mission on Vancouver Island.

RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service spokesman Constable
Darren Langan says teams of officers from the RCMP, Saanich Police
Department and Victoria Police Department, with the assistance of the
Canadian Forces, will be searching for outdoor marijuana grow
operations across Vancouver Island.

"The location of these outdoor marijuana grow operations poses unique
challenges to officers," says Langan. "Through our partnership with
the Canadian military, we are able to utilize their expertise and
equipment to gain access to these difficult locations."

Oceanside RCMP Staff Sergeant Bill Van Otterloo says the detachment
will be involved in the operation if needed.

"The eradication is taking place throughout the whole Island and
involves all detachments and personnel from all up and down the
Island, but is spearheaded by the federal drug enforcement unit," Van
Otterloo says. "Marijuana eradication has been going on for years and
will continue to do that as long as people continue to grow marijuana."

Van Otterloo says the eradication team has yet to attend the Oceanside
area but he expects them to fly in any day now.

He notes as well that he doesn't expect any problems with the Lasqueti
Island eradication program, although Lasquetians were up in arms two
years ago about the conduct of the eradication teams after police cut
water lines and allegedly trespassed on private property.

"I hope we won't have similar problems as we did a couple of years
ago," he says. "They were dealt with at the time and last year we had
no problems and I anticipate no problems this year."