BUMPER POT CROPS KEEP 'GREEN TEAM' BUSY

The property room of the Calgary Police Service is filled with the
overwhelming smell of marijuana.

Three large garbage bags sit on a table overflowing with the proceeds of a
home grown industry that is sprouting across Calgary.

The odor is a sign that in the war against drugs, Calgary police have
scored a hit. Drug detectives know, however that theres always another
harvest coming from Calgary¼s underground marijuana economy.

The recent discovery of marijuana, with a street value of more than
$560,000, at a Whitehorn area home in the northeast illustrates the
difficulty police have in tracking drug growing operations.

They exist in neighbourhoods like yours and mine. It could be happening
next door, or down the street. Think your community is immune to the
problem? Think again.

"They are all over the place, that's the reality", says Staff Sgt. Mike
Cullen of the police drug unit. "Rentals. Owners. It doesn't matter."

Police rely on tips from the public to help expose marijuana growing
operations, says Det. Jeff Plimmer.

Ninety percent of drug busts come from tips. Some are turncoats, people who
know there are drugs on the inside. But more often it is neighbors who feel
something illegal is going on.

Plimmer says there are some sure signs that you may be living next to a
marijuana merchant. He advises:

- - Look for the electricity meter in the back to be altered, which is a sign
that the grower is bypassing electricity to power the operation; -Look for
heavy condensation on windows; -Look for basement windows to be covered up
at all times; -Look to see if the home doesn¼t look lived in, yet there¼s
no end of visitors.

"You just never know what your neighbours are doing", says Primmer.

A house owner should be extra vigilant to avoid renting to potential
marijuana growers, adds Cullen.

"Aside from the damage they do, drilling through the basement to bypass the
meter, they cause tremendous structural damage to the home from the
constant heavy humidity used to grow the plants."

The drug unit¼s goal is to make a large dent in the marijuana trade in
Calgary by seizing $10 million worth of the illegal drug this year. But
street hardened cops suggest that even $10 million is probably a drop in
the bucket.

Recent federal Proceeds of Crime legislation has provided police with a new
tool in the fight. The new law allows police to seize - and the courts to
order forfeit upon conviction-money and other gains from criminal
enterprises.

The money recovered from the homes goes to the province, and is destined
for crime prevention, not enforcement.

It¼s a sore point among members of the marijuana police-that they don't
have more bodies to shut down the growers.

"We need two-to-three times the manpower to handle the number of complaints
we get now, let alone generate our own leads," says Primmer.

The Green Team is made of two Calgary Police officers and two Mounties. The
team receives more than 400 tips a year.

If you have a concern about a home in your neighbourhood, call Calgary
police at 266-1234, or the drug unit at 268-8388 or through Crimestoppers
at 262-8477.