COUNTY SEEING SPIKE IN GROW HOUSES

Following a provincewide trend, Simcoe County has seen a
huge spike in the number of indoor marijuana grow operations, says the
unit commander of the Ontario Provincial Police's Huronia combined
drug squad.

This year, police busted 28 grow houses in the county, at least three
of which were within Orillia city limits.

"A few years ago indoor marijuana grow operations were uncommon," said
Det. Sgt. Jamie Ciotka. "Before, you'd only find one or two a year."

But the number of grow operations across Ontario has jumped by 250 per
cent between 2000 and 2002, producing upward of $12.5 billion worth of
plants during that time, says a new report by the Criminal
Intelligence Service Ontario.

Ciotka credits the increase to superior quality of indoor grow
operations or "grow ops."

The potency of indoor crops is four times that of outdoor plants,
making it an appealing option for those who harvest and buy Ontario
marijuana, said Ciotka.

The majority of buyers are from the U.S., where penalties are much
more severe for those who grow the illicit substance, explained Ciotka.

An Ontario grower who produces 1,000 plants, soliciting $1,000 per
plant, who is charged with the offence may get just a house arrest,
said Ciotka.

And Ontario marijuana fetches a hefty sum, especially in the U.S.
where up to $7,500 is paid per pound.

Between the high profit and low risk, growing marijuana has become
more and more prevalent, said Ciotka.

This year, the Huronia combined drug squad busted two Orillia
residences growing 300 marijuana plants a piece, a total sting worth
$300,000 each. A third bust at an Orillia home netted 60 starter plants.

No longer confined to the country, grow houses are increasingly found
in quiet, suburban homes, said Ciotka. Inside, a sophisticated network
of hydroponic equipment -- a startup kit costing at least $25,000 --
cultivates up to three crops a year.

Ciotka links most of the growers not to smalltime criminals but to
large-scale organized crime.

"What person without links to organized crime could sell that many
plants for that amount of money? These aren't people selling plants at
parties."

Because of the huge amount of hydro it takes to run fans and
hydroponic lights needed to grow the drug indoors, several growers
resort to illegally siphoning electricity from the province's power
grid, said Ciotka. The report estimates growers stole $85 million
worth of power last year.