CHRONIC PROBLEMS

Grow Ops Rampant In Calgary

Marijuana grow operations are sprouting up in Calgary faster than
weeds. And Staff Sgt. Birnie Smith, unit commander of the Calgary
RCMP's drug section, said it has become a big problem.

"It is rampant in Calgary right now," he said.

Last year the Southern Alberta Marijuana Investigative Team (SAMIT), a
joint forces team comprised of the RCMP, Calgary police and the
Criminal Intelligence Service of Alberta, seized $101 million worth of
marijuana.

More than 85,000 plants were removed from the lucrative and illicit
trade last year alone.

The issue of grow operations and the related dangers were thrust into
the spotlight March 3, when four RCMP officers -- investigating stolen
vehicles and a small operation in Mayerthorpe -- were shot to death by
crazed gunman James Roszko.

At the time, people on both sides of the marijuana legalization debate
exploited the tragedy, clearly the result of one madman rather than
the evils of grow-ops, to make their point.

However, in the days following the tragedy, the anti-marijuana
rhetoric died down and the role of the grow op in the brutal slayings
was downplayed.

The war on drugs is an everyday battle for Staff Sgt. Trevor Daroux of
the Calgary police drug unit.

"They are in every neighbourhood in the city," said Daroux.

"There is no neighbourhood that is immune. We have found grow
operations in $1 million homes and in $100,000 homes."

As part of an urgent crackdown by police, SAMIT was formed in 2003 so
forces could pool resources and tackle the heightened number of grow
operations.

And these are no longer Ma and Pa operations hidden away in some
basement. Today's grow operations are vastly more sophisticated than
they were 10 years ago, and the people behind them are skilled and
organized criminals.

"We are finding individuals responsible for operations in up to 10
different locations," said Daroux.

"It is uncommon for them to only have one."

The grow ops predominantly belong to Asian organized crime, but these
crime units consist of people from all races.

Daroux said these criminals view marijuana cultivation as high-profit,
low-risk ventures that provide funds they can use for other illegal
activity, such as the importation of crack cocaine from the U.S.

"They feel the possibility of detection is low and the sentencing in
court has traditionally been relatively low, which is why they see it
as low risk," said Daroux.

The maximum penalty for marijuana cultivation is seven years in
prison, but the sentencing is left to the judge's discretion -- and
often times it's significantly less than the maximum.

There is now a bill before the House of Commons that proposes changes
to the Controlled Drug and Substances Act that would see the maximum
penalty doubled to 14 years in prison for the cultivation of 50 plants
or more.

No longer reserved to farmlands or slums, these drug factories are
commonly set up in houses in nice neighbourhoods.

The houses are purchased specifically to grow the drug and they are
renovated with ventilation systems to accommodate the operation.

"The houses aren't lived in but the criminals attempt to create a
lived-in facade," Daroux said.

"They have furnishings in the living rooms, the yards are well taken
care of and the electricity is put on a timer so lights come on and off."

Staff Sgt. Birnie Smith said these grow houses often go hand-in-hand
with mortgage fraud.

"They pay people to buy a house in their own name with their credit
rating and then they flip it over to someone else," he said.

"They keep flipping titles so it's almost impossible to trace it back
to them."

Which can also make it difficult for police to catch the bad guys.

"It's a question of how much resources we can put in to track the
owner," said Smith.

Which is why, despite the dangers, police would prefer if someone is
in the house when they dismantle the grow up.

If someone is found in the house, it shows they knew about it, which
helps with prosecution, said Smith.

On the flip side, though, if the growers are inside, the situation
becomes a lot more risky for police.

"Violence is inherent in the illicit drug trade," said Daroux.

"I would say 25 percent of residences that we get search warrants for
have weapons in them or are barricaded."

Daroux said growers use reinforced doors or two-by-fours to block
entry into the house, usually to stop other criminals from entering.
Their concern over potential police raids is somewhat secondary.

The majority of weapons, ranging from handguns, baseball bats and
knives, are hidden in the house.

But police anticipate these risks and deal with them accordingly.

"If there's intelligence indicating there could be a problem, the RCMP
will use the Emergency Response Team," said Smith, referring to a team
of officers trained in SWAT and military tactics.

For security reasons, Daroux can't say how many officers are typically
on scene to take down a grow op.

However, police are usually joined by firefighters and members of the
Calgary Health Region because 98% of grow houses are condemned due to
toxic mould.

Daroux said officers make an arrest following a grow op bust 60% of
the time.

"It's a balance between longer-term investigations and addressing the
immediate grow operation," said Daroux. "Ultimately we want to make
arrests."

So far this year, 25 arrests have been made with 77 charges laid.

Smith said of the people charged, a high number are convicted.

Police partially credit the public in leading to these arrests.

"We attribute a large part of our success to neighbours being involved
and the tips we receive," Daroux said, adding police will continue to
need public help.

Enmax has also tipped police off when they have noticed exorbitant
energy bills.

"The proliferation of marijuana grow operations is not unique to
Calgary," he said.

"The same situation exists in cities all across the country."