POLICE HOPE NEW YEAR SEES LESS DRUG-RELATED CRIME

It was a record-breaking year for members of the Calgary Police drug
unit.

First, on May 9, members of the drug unit -- working as part of the
Southern Alberta Marijuana Investigative Team (SAMIT) -- took down the
largest residential grow operation ever found in the city.

After getting a tip from the public, officers moved in on a Patterson
Cres. S.W. home where they found 2,445 plants in various stages of
growth, estimated to be worth about $3 million.

At the time, Staff Sgt. Darren Cave called the bust significant, not
only because of the sheer size of the operation, but the fact it was
also being used to produce clones, which are then used as starter
plants in other grow houses.

"We've undermined what was probably a bigger operation," Cave said at
the time.

But that record only stood for a matter of months.

Again working off a tip from the public, police moved in on a Weston
Pl. S.W. home on Dec. 10 where they found more than 2,600 pot plants
in various stages of growth, estimated to be worth $3.2 million on the
street.

Cave called the fact his unit was able to make two record busts in a
year a "double edged sword."

"On one side, it shows how entrenched drugs are in our society because
we're getting multiple examples of these high volume busts," he said.

"On the other side, we seem to be able to detect these."

All told, police seized nearly $60 million in marijuana and $1.3
million in hydroponic growing equipment in 2008, a slight increase
over the year before.

One thing officers saw in 2008 is the proliferation of grow-ops into
higher-end areas of the city, said Cave.

"Both these records were in southwest Calgary and there's not too many
areas in southwest Calgary that are considered lower-class
neighbourhoods," he said.

"Look at the one on Patterson (Cres. S.W.), on Broadcast Hill in a
beautiful area overlooking the city, and to have a house of that value
that was completely dedicated to marijuana."

Looking forward to 2009, Cave said his goal is to continue the battle,
one bust at a time. And with more than 220 new officers expected to be
hired, Cave is hoping to be able to use some of those resources.

"Not only to stop the problem in areas, but to have the
sustainability," he said.

"When we push (drug dealers and users) out of a neighbourhood, we want
to make sure we have the means in place to make sure they don't come
back."