PUTTING A DENT IN DRUG IMAGE

Green Team shows off evidence in recent busts, which resulted in
charges against 28 people

B.C. bud is one regional claim to fame Kelowna RCMP hope the Valley
will drop.

"Any amount of drugs affect anyone living in our community, by way of
crime that's happening as a result of drugs being bought and sold in
the Okanagan," Sgt. Ann Morrison said on Friday during a press
conference that showed off the latest hauls by the anti-marijuana
police Green Team.

"That's why we encourage the public to co-operate with us and provide
us any details about grow operations."

The Green Team is a group of seven local RCMP members. During the
past five weeks, the team has executed 21 drug warrants in Kelowna,
Lake Country,Peachland and West Kelowna, uncovering 19 marijuana grows
and 180 pounds of processed marijuana, as well as crystal meth,
cocaine, mushrooms, equipment and firearms. The total value of seized
goods is more than $5 million.

Seventeen men and 11 women were arrested; approximately half have
criminal records but none have known connections with organized crime
or gangs. One woman had a government permit to grow 15 plants, but
was arrested with 67 plants.

Insp. Cam Forgues said the drugs would likely have ended up in the
hands of organized crime if not seized by the Green Team.

"A lot of what's grown in the Okanagan will cross the border in
exchange for cocaine or firearms...often in the hands of organized
crime," said Forgues.

It is illegal for people without a permit to possess any amount of
marijuana in B.C.

Morrison speculated that if marijuana was legalized, the U.S. cocaine
trade into B.C. would increase.

While RCMP admit it's nearly impossible to prevent grow operations
entirely, the Okanagan could work to change its drug-producing image.

"We're now getting more public participation," so they can apply the
pressure by giving us information within their neighbourhoods, to move
the grow operations out."

The best defence, she said, is to disrupting growers'
ability.

"Eventually, individuals will get tired of being caught in Kelowna and
either let the shop go or move it elsewhere," said Morrison. "We're
not promoting they move to another community, but they'll just get
tired of it. We're trying to make it so it's not easy for them to do
this."

While RCMP don't have exact numbers on drug use in the area, Morrison
estimates from government studies that by Grade 8, 20 per cent of
students have tried drugs.

"Kids are curious and want to try things, but the abuse is what we're
keeping an eye on in our schools and why we're spending time with
young people in our schools," she said.

Regarding local drug-influenced crime, Forgues said Kelowna has
addicts who commit crimes in order to access more drugs, some are
involved in serious crimes. At the same time, just as many serious
crimes don't involve drugs, he said, "so we can't directly relate the
two."

When the Green Team is not in action, RCMP members pass on
drug-related tips to the drug unit, which gathers information and
executes warrants.

"(Seizures) don't stop, but not to the scale of the Green Team," said
Morrison. "They executed 21 warrants in five weeks. That's big. It
doesn't happen every day like that."