HIGH TIMES ON TRIUMPH STREET

A derelict strip of Triumph Street where prostitutes ply their trade and
crack addicts huddle in alcoves has become grow-op central in the city.

Since last June, Vancouver police have seized 6,500 marijuana plants in
three buildings located in the two blocks of Triumph Street between the
north ends of Semlin Drive and Victoria Drive.

The latest haul occurred Saturday, at about 4:30 p.m., when police raided a
small office building at 1924 Triumph St. and discovered 2,000 plants,
worth about $1.7 million.

Police arrested six people as they attempted to flee the building, and are
still searching for a male who ran from the group. Charges related to the
production of marijuana have been recommended against three men and three
women.

They include a 37-year-old woman from New Westminster, a 21-year-old woman
and 24-year-old woman, both from Burnaby, a 30-year-old man from Coquitlam,
a 25-year-old man from Vancouver and a 31-year-old man from Burnaby.

The building is owned by 655179 B.C. Ltd, which is registered to director
Smrat Sharma, who has an address on Fraser Street, according to the B.C.
Assessment Authority.

Though the number of plants is significant, it pales in comparison to the
Feb. 11 raid on a warehouse at 1826 Triumph St., where police discovered
3,500 plants-the largest seizure ever by police.

Despite the one-block distance between the grow-ops, Const. Sarah Bloor, a
media liaison officer for the Vancouver police, said the operations don't
appear to be connected.

Hanuman and Cora Prasad are listed as the owners of the three-storey
warehouse. Their business licence is registered to Night and Day Towing and
Wrecking Ltd.

Police also don't believe there is a connection to the 1,000-plant
operation discovered June 3 at 1967 Triumph St., which is now a legitimate
millwork shop.

Benjamin Alldritt is all too familiar with the latter grow-op, since he
worked on the floor above when it was operating in the 10,000-square-foot
space.

Alldritt, production and sales coordinator at B.C. Hardwood Floor Company
Ltd. at 1977 Triumph, said he and his co-workers suspected there was a
grow-op below when their lights began to flicker, their water pressure
dropped and the smell of skunk became prominent.

"The day our plumbing stopped working, we knew something was up," Alldritt
said.

They called a city inspector, who contacted the building's landlord, who
discovered the grow-op, Alldritt said.

Next door to B.C. Hardwood is Reay's Moving and Storage Ltd., a business
that's been on the corner of Triumph and Semlin for 20 years.

Owner John Reay said he's not surprised at the proliferation of grow-ops in
the neighbourhood, noting the area is overrun with crime and prostitution.

Recently, Reay said his company installed chain link fencing around his
back stairwell to keep addicts and prostitutes from loitering. Though
grow-ops aren't as visible as addicts and prostitutes, he knows the danger
they pose.

"I'd feel a little bit better if I knew the tenants of these businesses
were legitimate," he said.

Last week, the Courier reported that the city is considering drafting a
bylaw that would force landlords of premises used for grow-ops and drug
labs to pay the costs associated with drug busts.