POLICE DISMANTLE GROW-OPS

SEYMOUR ARM -- Members of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit
begin dismantling grow operations Wednesday as residents questioned whether
such a raid was needed in the small community.

"This is going to split people," said a man who didn't want to give his name.

"I don't think people are going to realize how much this is going to hurt
the community. People are going to wonder who ratted out who."

He and his friend Al Sterling, plus a few others, had gathered on the porch
of a small wooden home for an afternoon beer.

The home was nestled in the woods, far from the work police were doing in
the town's core.

"There are more cops here than people," said Sterling.

"We've got about 60 people here and there are 100 cops. That's a lot of
police for such a small town."

The CFSEU arrived in the lakeside community at about 7 a.m. Tuesday,
simultaneously executing 28 search warrants at 14 homes and 14 vehicles.

Their targets were several large-scale, factory-sized marijuana grow-ops
within a four-kilometre radius of the town. Many held up to 5,000 plants
and had been operating in the rustic town for several years.

CFSEU operations manager Supt. Marianne Ryan said 16 arrests were made.
More may follow as the investigation continues.

"We're still in the process of clearing the sites," she said as officers
tossed the remains of grow-op equipment into large green bins behind her.

"As we do so we uncover more evidence which could possibly lead to more
arrests and more warrants."

Those arrested were transported to Kamloops Tuesday and charged with
production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of
trafficking early Wednesday. Some were also charged with various weapons
offenses

All 16 were released with a promise to appear on Dec. 8.

The raid took place after an extensive two-year investigation that grew out
of complaints from residents unhappy with the number of growing operations
in the area and complaining of violence, threats and intimidation, she said.

Sterling said the rumours of violence were exaggerated.

"There was violence but that's everywhere," Sterling said. "Most of the
violence I ever saw here was between two people or over a marriage split-up."

Sterling's friend said the raid was a result of people sharing information
that they shouldn't have.

"Those people got busted because they trusted people in the community," he
said. "Now people aren't going to know who they can trust."

Sterling said the grow-ops could have been taken down with a small number
of police.

"They could have shut these operations down with 10 officers. They didn't
need to kick in doors and run around in SWAT gear."

Ryan said the CFSEU seized 20,000 plants that would have had a street value
of several million dollars.

"We also seized assault rifles, sawed-off shotguns and .357 Magnums."

These weapons were used to intimidate residents who were not involved in
the illegal activity, she said.

"This community had been infiltrated by organized crime. Some of the
residents were lured into it. Others were outsiders."

It was too early to tell if the outsiders were linked to groups like outlaw
biker gangs. However, those distributing the marijuana were very well
connected, she said.

"To set up a network in a community like this those kinds of efforts take
time."

Investigators believe the harvested marijuana was distributed to Vancouver,
Calgary and the United States.

Officers worked well into the night, hauling six-foot high pot plants out
of homes built strictly for marijuana growth.

One was powered by a generator with a 2,500-gallon fuel tank that Sgt. John
Ward said could power an eight-story office building.

Ryan said this was the biggest grow operation she had ever seen.

"In my experience this is very unique. It's huge."

Alf Daniels has owned Daniels General Store for 40 years.

He said there have always been grow-ops in Seymour Arm, but he has never
heard of an organized crime group operating in the area.

"There have never been any problems here that I know of. People have been
growing and selling marijuana but I never got involved in any of it.

"I knew, though, that if they kept growing the police would come and do
something about it. That's what they did yesterday."