LOCAL BUSTED AT MISSION GROW-OP

Mission RCMP busted the largest marijuana grow operation they've
uncovered to date in rural Mission on Saturday.

Investigators discovered 9,000 plants in a large barn after executing
warrant at a property in the 41000-block of Nicomen Island Trunk Road
and arrested six men in connection with the grow, said Mission RCMP
Cst. Amanda Fallis.

The value of the plants and the equipment used to cultivate the
sophisticated operation is estimated to be in the millions of dollars,
said Fallis.

The bust and arrests were the result of several weeks of an RCMP
investigation, said Fallis.

Police suspect the operation was linked to organized crime, and Fallis
said it was a significant case for the Mission detachment.

"It's very impressive. A lot of hours were put into this investigation
and it paid off," she said.

The average size grow uncovered by local RCMP is usually a couple
hundred plants, and the largest previous to Saturday's bust housed
7,500 plants, she said.

Marijuana grow operations seem to be larger and increasingly found in
rural locations, said Fallis. However, she said changes in the way
grow ops are discovered might be responsible for the trend.

"It might not be that grow operations are changing so much as that
methods of detection are getting stronger. The public is gaining more
knowledge about the signs and dangers associated to grow ops and are
more apt contact police about their suspicions, "she said.

The Mission detachment has also made some changes to its policing
methods.

Some officers are now allocated to specific zones in Mission, which
results in a better understanding of the issues in their
neighbourhoods and better contacts with local residents.

"Now members are specifically assigned to rural areas of Mission which
means a higher likelihood of detecting things of this nature," Fallis
said.

What's more, the Mission RCMP have two officers assigned to a "grow
team" that results in a greater focus on detecting marijuana operations.

The changes seem to be making a difference, said Fallis.

According to RCMP statistics, police have dismantled around 70 grow
operations this year and expect the number to reach 100 by year's end,
up from 65 grow operations shut down in 2007.