RCMP EXPECT TO UPROOT AT LEAST 30,000 POT PLANTS

Mounties Take To The Sky To Spot Outdoor Marijuana Grow-Ops

It's harvest time for police on Vancouver Island, who are taking to
the skies in their quest to dismantle marijuana-growing operations.

Led by the RCMP Federal Drug Enforcement Branch with the assistance of
the Canadian Forces, officers from detachments across the Island are
hoisted from helicopters to destroy plants in areas that are often
remote with rugged terrain. Police expect to eradicate at least 30,000
plants this season.

While Island pot growers earlier predicted a bumper crop of bud this
summer, with ideal weather feeding the sunshine-loving plants, cops
say they are getting better at busting bigger crops each year.

Police have already surpassed last year's total, seizing 24,500 plants
since harvesting kicked off last week.

Police are keeping the locations secret but they will hit more than
400 sites this summer, mostly concentrated in the central-to-north
region of the Island. The duration of the run is also not given away
although the Island growing cycle tends to be late May to early
August, according to Vancouver Island RCMP spokesman Cpl. Darren Lagan.

The complex growing operations, often buried deep within the woods,
usually range in size from 200 to 900 plants. Police say cultivating
such a crop takes considerable money, time and dedication that is
beyond the average pot-grower.

Some divert water from streams while others use sophisticated
irrigation systems, although police believe parched regions may have
posed irrigation problems this season. Many sites are only accessible
with ATVs or dirt bikes.

Police believe the south Island has fewer growing operations because
the area is more heavily populated.

Arresting anyone in connection with the drug crop is unlikely, since
police say the noise of the chopper blades gives them away, but Lagan
said the goal is to eliminate grow-ops altogether. While police
recognize they are likely not scooping up every single crop, Lagan
said the roundup makes a "significant impact" against criminal
activity, where drug money fuels crime groups in B.C.

Police no longer estimate the dollar value of a grow-op but in the
past estimated that each plant is worth $1,000 on the street. That
means larger busts, like a 900-plant operation police discovered near
Sooke last week, can be worth nearly $1 million.

"We're targeting people who are producing substantial amounts," said
Lagan on Tuesday. "It's very worthwhile. They're always changing
tactics and we're always changing our tactics."

RCMP officers help predetermine the seasonal crackdown by building up
a database of potential pot sites when the helicopters cruise over the
Island in other duties.

Spotted from the sky, police say grow-ops resemble broccoli and are a
different shade of green than surrounding vegetation.

BY THE NUMBERS

Outdoor marijuana seizures on Vancouver Island

2009 24,500 plants so far
2008 24,000 plants
2007 21,500 plants
- -- RCMP