280 POT PLANTS AT KILLER'S GROW-OP

The marijuana grow operation on Mountie killer James Roszko's farm included
at least nine 1,000-watt bulbs, fluorescent lights and an electronically
timed water system to nurture his plants. Recently released court documents
outline the extent of Roszko's grow-op, which was initially at the centre
of calls for a crackdown after his catastrophic confrontation with the RCMP.

Search warrant results filed in provincial court in Stony Plain also
confirm 280 pot plants were found in the Quonset hut where Roszko gunned
down four officers March 3.

Constables Brock Myrol, 29; Anthony Gordon, 28; Leo Johnston, 32; and Peter
Schiemann, 25, who was out of uniform and unarmed, died in the attack with
a semi-automatic assault rifle. Roszko shot himself after killing the officers.

In the shock and grief following the shootings, several public officials
said marijuana grow-ops were responsible for a growing lawlessness that was
putting police lives at risk. Both RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli
and Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, who is also public safety
minister, said tougher laws were needed to avoid similar tragedies.

However, both later acknowledged that Roszko's grow-op was not the main
reason for the shootings. In fact, the marijuana plants were only
discovered as a result of a stolen-property investigation, and Roszko's
hatred of police was both long-standing and well-known.

Zaccardelli later said there would have been no way to predict when someone
like Roszko would snap.

The search warrant offers an extensive list of Roszko's pot-growing
paraphernalia, from his Rainbird water timer to 130 plastic bins in which
he grew his crop.

He used a portable heater to protect the plants in the uninsulated metal
hut and kept a supply of water available in two 250-gallon tanks. Pumps
kept the soil well-watered and full of nutrients, while fans circulated
air. The value of the equipment has been estimated at about $8,000.

Civilian witnesses who were on the site in the early morning hours before
the shootings said the grow-op was blocked off from the rest of the hut by
makeshift walls of plywood and polyethylene sheeting.

Another search warrant released earlier listed other items found on
Roszko's property, including a crossbow, a fake gun and boxes of
ammunition. RCMP also seized a laptop computer, a police radio scanner, two
scales, vehicle information, marijuana seeds and two wallets containing $1,585.

Other items included spotlights, walkie-talkies, stereo equipment, a
television, drug paraphernalia and a box of articles related to police and
sex offences.

Inside the hut, investigators seized three sets of Alberta licence plates,
two pickup trucks, a dirt bike, an all-terrain vehicle, an electrical
generator and a lawn tractor.

RCMP have already said the discovery of ammunition on the property during
the early stages of the search prompted them to reassess security and
safety precautions.