POLICE BUST MARIJUANA FACILITY

A major marijuana home-growing operation near the village of Selkirk, in
Haldimand-Norfolk, was broken up by police this week. Police said 800
marijuana plants with a street value of more than $400,000 were discovered.
One person whom police have yet to identify has been charged with
production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of
trafficking and theft of electricity.

Police said that when they searched the home, the power transformer went out.

"It took them longer to secure the grounds," said OPP Sgt. Terry Blace. He
said police also found $44,675 in "offence-related property."

Although it was "substantial," the operation's size was "average" for a
home-grow operation, said Sgt. Dave Rektor of the OPP's Western Region.

"These people get very creative. They dig out false basements, use false
subfloors. They put them in attics.

"They conceal them well."

Home-growing marijuana operations -- essentially minifactories where plants
are raised from seeds using indoor lighting and hydroponics -- have become
a growing headache for police all across Canada.

Earlier this year, police uncovered the largest growing operation in the
country's history in a former brewery near Barrie.

The facility was even equipped with a small dormitory for employees.