GROW-OP TAKES OVER VACANT WEST VAN HOME UNBEKNOWNST TO OWNER

West Van police say they dismantled a grow-op last night, one that was
squatting - unbeknownst to the owners - in a vacant British Properties
home.

Const. Jeff Palmer said the owner, who hadn't been to the Glenross
Road home in a few months, called police Sunday (Oct. 25) evening when
he visited the house to find the locks were changed and the windows
lined with condensation.

Police found a marijuana grow operation inside and spent the night
dismantling electrical systems and carting out several hundred
marijuana plants.

Palmer said police haven't yet estimated the street value of the crop
inside the house. He added that landlords should choose their tenants
carefully and not accept cash up front for rent payments.

"One of the things we've warned landlords about - make sure you can
properly identify the person who's renting," said Palmer. Drug growers
often "pay cash, up front, misidentify . . . leaving a pretty cold
paper trail."

The police also warned against tenants who try to delay inspections or
transfer their tenancy to a third party "without due process." They
said landlords should regularly inspect their properties inside and
out at least every four or five weeks as the grow-op cycle takes three
months to complete.

The last big growp-op bust on the North Shore took place on Mount
Seymour this August. Mounties found 300 marijuana plants, a
kilometer-long gravity-fed gravity hose and electronic timers.