ASHLU VALLEY GROW OP BUSTED

Two Suspects Charged

The Ashlu Valley is quickly getting a reputation as the Sea to Sky
corridor's valley of controversy.

The mountain stream and its valley are already the subject of intense
debate over a proposed run-of-the-river style hydro electric project and
now police have discovered that someone or some people were tending a
secret agricultural operation in the valley.

The RCMP arrested two people this weeknd and seized more than 1,300
marijuana plants in the Ashlu Valley. Five outdoor marijuana grow
operations were dismantled in the valley. The bust was conducted by the
Squamish RCMP serious crimes section in conjunction with the RCMP E
Division in Vancouver and the North Vancouver RCMP Emergency Response Team.

According to Const. Tariq Siddiqui, two armed individuals were arrested in
the Ashlu Valley and taken into custody.

Cpl. Dave Ritchie reported that the pair face charges related to weapons
and drugs. They were released on Saturday after signing a promise to appear
in court in November.

Ritchie said complaints originating from the Ashlu area started to come
into his office in March.

"We had reports of people protecting the area in an aggressive way,"
Ritchie said.

The police started to monitor the area after the complaints started to come in.

The bust follows the arrest of two people on July 17 when a 31-year-old man
suffered a serious cut to his left leg. The victim was cut by a sword while
riding his motorcycle in the area of the Ashlu mine site. The injured man,
a resident of Deroche, B.C., was confronted by the two individuals who were
eventually arrested. According to Ritchie, the two suspects were camping in
the area and they claimed to be exploration miners.

Ritchie said the pot bust and the incident involving the miners are totally
separate and unrelated matters. He noted that the marijuana was not growing
on the mine property.

"We went up there on Wednesday (Aug. 25) and did a reconnaissance flight,"
Ritchie said.

After that flight, the RCMP decided to move in on the operation on
Saturday. Ritchie said the police did not have any information indicating
that anyone would be there on that day. He said the police hoped that they
would encounter the growers.

The plants were bundled in burlap and Siddiqui reported that after some
samples were kept for evidence purposes, the seized plants were destroyed.

The Ashlu is now on a list of areas being closely monitored for outdoor
marijuana grow operations.