ROSZKO GROW-OP INCLUDED 280 PLANTS

Equipment Worth About $8,000, Court Documents Show

EDMONTON -- 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 Mr. 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, Alta.,
also confirm 280 pot plants were found in the Quonset hut where Mr. 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.

Mr. Roszko shot himself after killing the officers.

In the shock and grief that came after 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 Mr. 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 Mr. Roszko's hatred of police was both
long-standing and well-known.

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

The search warrant offers an extensive list of Mr. 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
in the enclosure.

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.

About 20 of the plants had recently been harvested, said one of the
mechanics who was helping RCMP remove stolen vehicles.

The odour inside the grow-op was powerful enough to make his head pound
after only a few minutes, he said.

Another search warrant released earlier listed other items found on Mr.
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
to 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.

A senior British Columbia RCMP officer, assisted by a B.C. major crimes
unit, is investigating the case. RCMP officials have said the probe could
take several months.