PLATEAU GROW OPS BUSTED

Four marijuana grow operations on the same Westwood Plateau street
were targeted by the Coquitlam RCMP's marijuana enforcement team Thursday.

The Avalon Heights development on Plateau Crescent was home to the
cluster of grows, all of which were reported to police by BC Hydro as
thefts of electricity.

The first home targeted, which was kicked in around lunch time,
appeared to be lived in and had a small grow operation in the
basement. There were three grow rooms: one with about 250 plants, one
that was empty and a third with about 150 clone plants.

Officers also came across two dogs when they entered the house
through an interior door in the garage.

An electrical bypass was found in the garage of the three-level home.

One man was arrested in a vehicle a few minutes away.

The second home, which could be seen from where the first house was
busted, hid a much bigger operation.

Team members broke through a sliding glass door in the back of the
house to find a large grow room inside. Because they couldn't get
into the room, which was packed with plants and barricaded on the
other side, officers had to break down a fortified front door.

Inside the house were five grow rooms - all in the basement - and a
clone room upstairs. In the basement were an estimated 1,500 plants,
and about 200 clones were found upstairs. Plants were in all three
stages of growth: cloning, vegetative and budding.

It appeared that nobody lived in the sparsely furnished house, but
weapons such as kitchen knives and machetes were found under couch
cushions and in furniture. Police also said the house was a mess.

"They've really destroyed the residence," Cpl. Daniel Pons said.

A bypass was found inside and the rooms were venting into the house's attic.

A third house a few doors down was busted just before The NOW's
deadline Thursday and a fourth was expected to be later the same night.