GROW-OP BUSTED AT CHEAM RESERVE

A large-scale marijuana grow operation located on the Cheam reserve,
was busted Friday by members of the Agassiz RCMP and Chilliwack's RCMP
strike force.

Police say they seized 723 pot plants being cultivated in a large shed
behind a private residence. They discoverd the crop after executing a
search warrant to enter the property.

The bust took place at 1:30 p.m.

Task force spokesperson Cpl. Roxanne Dowden would not comment on the
investigation leading to the raid,but said this grow-op was
sophisticated and almost self-sufficient. It did not require tending
on a daily basis, she noted. No arrests have been made in connection
to the bust.

The case is still under investigation.

During the seizure, BC Hydro was contacted to disconnect electricity
to the structure because rewiring had made the building unsafe.

"The majority of grow-ops are commercialized," explained Dowden,
adding her strike force is currently working on about 200 grow-op
files. "We believe the majority of ops we attend are linked to
organized crime."

Dowden said grow-op cases are on the rise in this area. She estimates
there may be as many as 1000 grow-ops in the Chilliwack-Agassiz area
alone. They can range in size from 10 to 5000 plants, and are often in
residential basements.

"Typically we get between 400 and 800 plants," she said.

Dowden would not say to whom police presented the search warrent. She
did note, however that the shed has not been connected to any
residents of the reserve.