ANOTHER CHILD FOUND IN GROW-OP HOUSE

For the second time in a two weeks, a young child has been involved in
an RCMP drug bust.

Police raided a grow-op in the 2500-block of Sandpiper Drive in
Westsyde on Thursday afternoon (March 18) that led to a haul of 276
pot plants worth thousands of dollars.

The resident of the house wasn't home at the time, but Kamloops
Mounties have confirmed a man and a six-year-old child live in the
house.

The fact that anyone was living in the house is a huge concern, said
RCMP Const. Pat Nagy.

"It's a really scary thought for them to live in that atmosphere," she
said.

The home was in such bad shape, police had to conduct much of their
investigation outside the home for their own safety.

The basement was filled with mold and several makeshift electrical
boxes contained burned-out wires.

Two weeks ago, Mounties raided a home on March 4 in the 200-block of
Hollyburn Drive, also looking for a marijuana grow operation.

Besides the small-scale grow-op and a handful of weapons, there were
three young children in the home at the time.

In both cases, the Ministry of Children and Families was notified of
the situation.

The house in the most recent raid is a stone's throw from the
francophone school Ecole Collins d'Or.

Police have yet to make an arrest in the bust, but they know who they
are looking for and expect to have someone in custody soon.

The RCMP's Kamloops action response team zeroed in on the house two
weeks ago after receiving a tip of stolen power from BC Hydro.

RCMP also note several residents living around the area were
suspicious something wasn't right at the residence, but were afraid to
call police.

That's prompted Mounties to remind the public they can call Crime
Stoppers and remain anonymous.