FIVE TONS OF POT IN FIVE MONTHS

A crackdown on illegal marijuana growing operations by Surrey Mounties has
resulted in the seizure of five tons of pot in five months, new police
statistics reveal.

Officers have been busting an average of one grow op every day since a new
team was created in November to concentrate full-time on Surrey's booming
indoor marijuana growing industry.

As of April 12, the team has raided 160 grow ops, seizing 55,000 plants or
10,000 pounds of high-grade "B.C. bud."

Police say children were found in 23 of the 160 homes raided and $38,000 in
cash has been seized.

Most of the busts are the results of tips, many of them phoned in to the
RCMP tip line at 604-599-7771.

Twelve grow ops were uncovered by fires, usually the result of sloppy wiring
to bypass Hydro power meters.

Five were discovered by property owners checking on tenants.

A Surrey RCMP study last year indicated most grow ops are run by organized
crime gangs which favour the use of new houses, some worth as much as
$700,000, to conceal their operations.

In some new neighbourhoods, more than half the homes are believed to conceal
growing operations.

Since it was first established, the number of officers assigned to the team
has increased from 20 to 28.

In February, Asst. Comm. Gary Forbes told the city's police committee he
wants to step up the raids to between eight and 10 a week. So far this year,
the City of Surrey has charged the owners of 97 grow ops $163,000 to recover
police and fire costs.