POT A GROWING PROBLEM IN 2003

Calgary Cops Seized More Than $45-Million in Weed

This was the Year of the Ram to some but to police in the Calgary
area, 2003 was the year of the marijuana grow operation.

The Calgary Police Service seized more than $45 million in weed this
year -- nearly 40,000 plants -- in 110 raids.

Like their peers in communities across Canada, cops here have noticed
a marked increase in the number of indoor grow operations.

In 2001, Calgary cops seized $9 million worth of marijuana from pot
farmers and that amount doubled in 2002.

"Organized criminals have identified (the grow ops) to be a low-risk,
profitable enterprise," said Staff Sgt. Trevor Daroux.

It costs about $8,000 to set up, and one harvest can reap $50,000 to
$100,000.

Police say the profits from a grow-op often fund other illicit
activities.

Chestermere found itself with a dubious reputation as a marijuana
growing mecca -- where for as little as $210,000, a pot farmer can buy
a home in the quiet bedroom community which doesn't have its own
police detachment.

The Strathmore RCMP smelled Chestermere's growing pot problem and
swooped in to dismantle 26 grow operations this year, netting more
than $15 million worth of pot.

The jump in the number of indoor marijuana grows in the region
prompted the creation of a provincial joint forces team to sniff-out
grow ops in southern Alberta.

The team is comprised of members of the Calgary Police Service, Royal
Canadian Mounted Police and Criminal Intelligence Service of Alberta.

"The Southern Alberta Marijuana Investigative Team, or SAMIT, will use
strategic and eradication investigative strategies to combat marijuana
grow operations," said Daroux.

"Grow operations have been identified by police services across the
country as an increasing threat to public health and safety, and a
major contributor to financing organized crime."

RCMP Sgt. Val Bouey added, "No city, town or community is immune to
the effects of this problem.

"With every grow operation comes the threat of violence and home
invasions, health concerns associated with toxic mould, fire hazards
from electrical bypasses and decreasing property values."

"We have established links between grow operations in the city and
those being found in the communities surrounding Calgary," said
Calgary police Insp. Brian Skeet.

"This partnership will allow for a more strategic approach to
identifying those who control these operations."