ANOTHER GROW OP BUSTED IN REGION

Timing Is Everything

RCMP Aim For Maximum Disruption

Clearwater and Barriere RCMP made a number of large-scale marijuana
busts last week, shutting down dozens of outdoor grow sites and
destroying millions of dollars worth of the illegal drug.

The busts are part of a massive coordinated effort by RCMP
detachments in the interior to eradicate outdoor marijuana grow
operations in remote rural areas across the RCMP's Southeast District.

Called Operation Epannikin, the effort has so far yielded more than
13,000 plants in the last two weeks, and kept more than $10 million
of the drug off the streets.

Clearwater Cpl. Mike Savage said the operation is in response to the
increasing number of marijuana grow sites popping up in remote,
rural areas resulting from increased enforcement in urban areas.

"Every year we have some of the best growing conditions for
marijuana and they take advantage of that," he said.

Detachments in Clearwater, Barriere, Chase, Ashcroft, Clinton,
Lytton, Lillooet, Kamloops rural and Salmon Arm are all
participating in the operation.

The RCMP estimates the illegal drug trade in B.C. is a $6 billion
industry, putting it roughly on par with the construction industry.

On Thursday, Clearwater and Barriere RCMP took down several sites
scattered along the mountainsides at the northwest end of Adams Lake.

In all, more than 900 plants were destroyed, an amount of marijuana
equivalent to more than 150,000 marijuana cigarettes.

Although virtually invisible from the ground, the sites were easily
spotted by an RCMP helicopter from the air.

"The marijuana plants have an almost fluorescent green colour that
really sticks out when you fly over it," said Savage.

"Especially when it's surrounded by all the red of the dead pine trees."

The grow sites used a sophisticated fully-automated system to grow
the drug. Nearby creeks had been dammed, leaving them completely
dry, and irrigation lines equipped with battery operated timers,
filters and Miracle-Gro feeders ran down the hillside to feed each
individual plant.

"They pretty much just set it up and let it go," said Barriere Cst.
Evan Cadwallader.

"They don't have to come here to water [the plants] or anything."

Although kilometres apart, a similar set-up was used at each site,
leading the officers to suspect they were all part of the same operation.

However, despite the many recent busts, there have been no arrests made.

"It's frustrating, because the [outdoor] grow sites are located in
remote areas on Crown land, so it makes them very hard to monitor,"
said Savage.

"Every year we take down probably 30 per cent of what's up there,
but with this coordinated effort its probably around 60 per cent this year."

Savage said the timing of the busts is meant to hit the operations
late enough in the growing season to prevent any replanting by the
growers, but early enough that the operations are not yet at the
harvesting stage, thus causing maximum disruption.

"For some of these guys that grow the stuff all year round, we just
shut down their whole business," said Savage. "Now they're going to
have to get a real job."

The confiscated marijuana was incinerated Thursday afternoon at the
Vavenby Canfor mill's beehive burner.