HOME DAMAGED AS COPS RAID GROW OP THAT WASN'T

A rueful Efrin Ramirez surveyed the damage to his front door Monday
afternoon, pointing out where a police battering ram had dented the
heavy-duty metal and ripped apart the door jamb.

The North Surrey resident won't be paying for that door, or for three
others kicked in during an RCMP raid on the Ramirez home in the 12800
block of 114A St. Saturday night that found no evidence of any illegal
activity.

The detachment has promised it will cover the cost of repairs and has
apologized to the family after officers armed with a drug search
warrant forced their way inside while the Ramirez family, Efrin, his
wife Rosemarie and their two children, were visiting relatives in Vancouver.

Ramirez pulled into his driveway about 9 p.m. to be greeted by an
apologetic RCMP officer who showed him the search warrant.

"There's no indication at all that these people are connected to
anything shady," Surrey RCMP Sgt. Dave Attfield told The Leader Monday.

Sgt. Attfield said he cannot disclose the evidence that was used to
obtain the search warrant for the Ramirez address, but promised an
internal review will be conducted "to determine what lessons, if any,
can be learned from this."

Attfield said even though the Ramirez residence is a well-maintained
home with a flower garden in the front yard, many houses that contain
indoor grow ops are carefully maintained to fool suspicious neighbours
and police.

Ramirez was philosophical about the raid Monday, shrugging as he
showed how he's installed a new lock higher up as a temporary fix for
the deadbolt broken by the Mounties.

"My mother-in-law wants us to move," Ramirez said, but he is reluctant
to leave his neighborhood, even though other houses in the area have
been identified as grow ops.