BUSTED POT HOUSE NEAR TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

York Regional police raided their 20th marijuana grow operation of 2004
Thursday, found in an non-descript home near two elementary schools.

Detective Darrin Leitch said in addition to 203 marijuana plants with a
street value of more than $200,000, officers found children's clothes,
videos and toys, suggesting the growers had children living in the Ascot
Crescent home near Birchmount Road and Steeles Avenue.

Det. Leitch also said an extraordinary amount of mould, possibly toxic, was
discovered inside the house, caused by the damp conditions necessary for
the grow operation.

"One of the officers here has been in more than 170 grows and says he's
never seen mould this bad before," he said, adding it filled the entire
house including what looked like two bedrooms where the occupants were
possibly sleeping. "It's the worse I've ever seen."

Police were tipped off to the operation's location by an anonymous call,
but found no one inside during the raid.

It appears those running the grow-op were also stealing electricity, Det.
Leitch added.

The York Region Health Department is expected to inspect the mould and
decide if the home should be condemned while the police investigation into
who owns or possibly rented the house continues.

Police discovered 173 marijuana grow operations across the region in 2003.