NEW BREED OF SUBURBAN GROW OP

Waterloo Region -- They were silently operating in an unsuspecting
neighbourhood for
months -- three homes filled not with families, but the trade of
organized crime.

The three marijuana grow operations in Doon South, which yielded more
than $2.5 million in drugs, are by no means the first major grows
uncovered in the region.

But the scale and sophistication of the operations are on a level
police say they haven't seen in this area before.

"It ought to catch everyone's attention," said Staff Sgt. Scott
Buchanan of the Waterloo Regional Police drug unit." If we are coming
across these now -- it's obvious that they're somewhat established --
how long have they been there and where else are they operating?"

To date this year, police have dismantled 11 indoor grow
operations.

It's still a far cry from the balloon of home grows in the early
2000s, when police were taking down four or five a month.

But, while the numbers might not be as high, the scale and relative
invisibility of this new generation of marijuana production is
sounding alarm bells.

"Certainly, it presents some concerns to us . . . the sophistication
has changed," said Buchanan.

"It's sophistication in terms of making it more difficult to be
detected and sophistication no different than your standard quality
control and the way you do business."

In 2002, Waterloo regional police dismantled 39 marijuana grow
operations, averaging 300 plants each, according to drug unit statistics.

At that time, it was a new phenomenon for many police services across
the province, which had always trained to deal with clandestine labs,
but not the specific hazards emerging in the grow ops.

"We hadn't seen that level of sophistication and level of
organization," said Waterloo Regional Police Association president Ray
Massicotte, who headed the drug unit at the time.

"It became obvious that it was quite lucrative and so it went from
there. We evolved and, like anything else, if you concentrate
enforcement, they tend to move on."

The next year, the numbers started to dwindle. In 2004, there were 20
busts. In 2006, there were 15.

Regional police Chief Matt Torigian said that decline doesn't
necessarily reflect less activity by drug producers.

Increased enforcement may have pushed some out of the region or caused
them to take up the production of other drugs.

"What we have witnessed in the past is that some of the criminal
activity will shift," said Torigian.

"So where you'll see a marijuana home grow operation, then you'll see
a clandestine ecstasy or a meth lab or some other type of drug related
criminal activity where those involved . . . may be looking at other
means by which to generate some income."

In the Greater Toronto Area, where the number of dismantled grow ops
has continued to increase, police are seeing once-separate criminal
groups come together to streamline operations.

"It's not so much a criminal organization, it's a criminal enterprise
now," said Staff Sgt. Bill McAlpine of the RCMP's Toronto North drug
unit.

"Certain people make the grow and then there are brokers that collect
that and store it and they'll get someone to ship it. They will
utilize whoever they can to get their product to market."

Those changes in the network are driven by profit.

But, over the past five years, the groups on the production level have
remained somewhat static, he said.

"As far as growing it, I think you're still looking at the Vietnamese
background," he said. "It's not totally exclusive to them, but they
seem to be partaking a little more than other groups."

Regional police called the local operations organized, but wouldn't
comment on the groups behind them, citing that the cases are currently
before the courts.

All six of the accused arrested in connection with two of the busts--
Pine Valley Drive and Knox Court-- are from the Toronto area.

Buchanan said it's not clear where the drugs grown in Kitchener would
be headed but, because of the scale, it likely wouldn't all be
intended for Waterloo Region.

The major market for Ontario grown marijuana is still the United
States, McAlpine said. It crosses the border in trucks, by boat or is
even backpacked across land -- any way they can get it into the
country undetected.

"It's a highly sought-after product in the United States," he
said.

In spite of efforts to clamp down on indoor grows, it remains an
attractive business because, for some, the profits outweigh the penalties.

"Marijuana -- the social view of it -- is that it's not as if you're
doing coke or meth or speed or some other kind of chemicals," said
McAlpine.

"Those penalties are obviously a lot higher. The profit might be
higher, too, but for the profit you get with marijuana -- it's a
risk-benefit type of deal."

As for activity in Waterloo Region, Torigian said police will remain
vigilant when it comes to drug crimes, an issue which ranked high on
their recent citizen survey.

"It really is a community effort," he said. "We are very proud and
pleased with the efforts and support we have from the community in our
eradication efforts, but we can't let up."

Police haven't linked the three recent busts, but said there were
similarities in the setups of the operations.

While three large grow ops may not be enough to be called a trend,
Buchanan said he's certain the drug unit's work isn't done.