POLICE POT HARVEST TOPS THE 2008 TOTAL

15,000 marijuana plants been seized across N.B. to date, compared to
13,500 plants by late September last year

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's harvest of seized marijuana has already
topped the entire amount netted by RCMP last year, and police aren't
yet finished with this year's hunt.

Provincial Mounties estimate that 15,000 pot plants have been seized
over the past four-weeks across New Brunswick. This is compared to
13,500 plants seized in 2008 between mid-August and late-September,
the prime time to harvest.

RCMP Sgt. Simon Roy, who's with the Mounties' Co-ordinated Marijuana
Enforcement Team, said information collected from the public
anonymously, especially from the province's Crime Stoppers hotline,
is leading to an increase in pot seizures.

"That's the main source of information," he said.

Simon said the weather needed for growing a good marijuana crop was
also ideal over the summer, making it "a very good year for harvesting."

"The plants need a lot of water which they certainly got this year,
but they also need a lot of sun," he said. "So as far as the sun
goes, the month of August was pretty good."

The rural terrain across New Brunswick makes the entire province
ideal for growing cannabis.

"There's no specific area that would be the top contender," said
Simon. "Each year it varies."

"This year, the hub areas are in the Richibucto area, Campbellton,
the Edmundston area, as well as St. Stephen. These areas have
resulted in the largest seizures."

Locally, over 4,000 marijuana plants have been seized in Kent County this year.

Just last week, District 5 RCMP and the RCMP Emergency Response Team
seized several hundred plants, several pounds of marijuana bud and
four long guns at a residence on Highway 480 in Acadieville.

In addition to public informants, the RCMP uses the technology of GPS
(Global Positioning System) as well as all-terrain-vehicles to get to
remote areas where marijuana is being grown.