POLICE TURN UP THE HEAT ON MID-ISLAND GROW-OPS

Criminals are becoming more creative in their quest to hide
marijuana-growing operations, say police and an expert in the
clandestine drug trade in B.C.

Underground urban bunkers housing thousands of pot plants were raided
in Nanaimo when police swarmed five properties in one day last month.

Nanaimo RCMP will not say if the sophisticated operation has links to
organized crime, but criminologist Darryl Plecas says pot is one of
its largest funding sources. Police are exploring that possibility as
they continue the investigation that led to the arrest of six people.

The length criminals will go to keep their stash secret, such as the
bunkers that police say cost substantial money to construct, do not
surprise Plecas, a criminologist and RCMP university research
chairman in crime reduction, who has studied the lucrative drug trade
and grow-op situation in B.C.

Marijuana is the single-largest funding source for organized crime,
according to Plecas. Police also acknowledge the link marijuana can
have to organized crime, such as gangsters or outlaw bikers.

The sophistication of the operations has shifted in the past decade,
as criminals have learned how to produce more with less.

Ten years ago, there may have been a couple hundred grow-ops in the
province. Over the years criminals have perfected their techniques
and pot crops have become larger and new equipment helps them fly
under the radar. At the same time, the technology and skills of
police to detect crops were also perfected, although they will not
disclose their methods.

Before, it was buried railroad cars and tractor trailers, but bunkers
are one of the latest techniques to hide weed, according to Plecas,
although it is not new.

Equipment to mask marijuana odour, water diversion or hybrid hydro
(steal some, pay for some) are just some of the ways criminals try to
stay away from suspicious neighbours, who have also become more
attentive to drug activity over the years.

But as long as there is money to be made, criminals will continue to
grow, said Plecas.

Although approximately 50,000 operations have been dismantled
throughout the province in the past decade, according to Plecas, at
least another 10,000 grow-ops thrive on any given day in B.C.

"There's no question, increasingly so, growers have come to use
techniques for the sole purpose of avoiding detection," said Plecas.
"They continue to tweak their modus operandi to reflect what's
happening in law enforcement."

A specialty team of police in Nanaimo dedicated solely to stopping
marijuana production had a busy and significant four-month stint that
wrapped up last month. The bunkers were the most elaborate operation
seen in the past year by the team. But they know there are more out
there and growing takes place year-round. Large crops of marijuana do
not suggest recreational growers, but instead the more elaborate
operations can have ties to organized crime.

"Criminals are spending a fair amount of money to try and make sure
operations are growing," said Nanaimo RCMP Cpl. Don Helgeson of the
municipal drug unit. "As long as there is money to be made, it will
always be an issue. Just about anywhere you can grow it, it will be done."

Police have seized pot plants from trailers, apartments, houses and workshops.

Since October, the Nanaimo RCMP Green Team (the marijuana eradication
unit) has searched 21 properties, seized more than 5,000 pot plants,
10 firearms, ammunition and more than $50,000 in cash. Twenty people
are being investigated or have been charged with offences in
connections with those raids. They are significant statistics for the
busy Green Team.

Police will not estimate the number of grow-ops that may be operating
in Nanaimo, but the Green Team has been in service since 2005.

They focus on files generated from the municipal drug unit to narrow
down more immediate cases where search warrants can be obtained. The
undercover unit also has its finger on the pulse of the drug trade in
Nanaimo, often doing surveillance on the job. Police will not
disclose how many officers are on this team or how often it rolls
out, but officers go back to regular duties once the team wraps up
its various missions.

Police say they receive daily tips on suspected drug-related
activity. They say their detection skills have got better over the
years, although they will not reveal methods used to bust growers.
New police equipment, intelligence-gathering and sophisticated
software that can connect one criminal to another have all helped
uncover drug growers.

The marijuana business is no doubt a lucrative one. A 1,000-plant
operation of four crops per year can generate as much as $500,000 in
profit. As much as 70% of the what's produced by the
multibillion-dollar marijuana industry in B.C. is exported,
predominantly to the U.S., according to Plecas. One pound of bud can
net around $2,000 in B.C., but as much as $8,000 if it makes its way
to California.

Plecas believes stiffer sentences are needed in order to truly deter
marijuana producers. In the rare case someone caught in a grow-op
goes to jail, they average a four-month prison sentence and $1,200 fine.

Nanaimo RCMP expect charges against several people arrested in
connection with the bunker raids to be forwarded to the Crown prosecutor soon.