HATZIC PRAIRIE INUNDATED WITH GROW OPS

Some of the marijuana grow operations taken down last week in Mission are
likely linked to organized crime, says the RCMP.

Last Wednesday, Mission RCMP's four-member community response unit teamed
up with other Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley police agencies to execute
14 search warrants on 13 properties in the Hatzic Prairie area. The
55-member squad took about 10 hours to complete the searches. Seven people
were arrested.

Weapons and large amounts of cash as well as drugs were seized at some of
the properties.

When the weapons were sorted out, the RCMP found themselves with one loaded
.22 caliber rifle, three shot guns (two of them sawed off), two air rifles,
two hand guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a couple of prohibited
knives.

Police also found $24,000 U.S. cash and $37,000 CDN cash as well as a cash
counting machine.

Police estimate they collected 4,000 marijuana plants of different sizes
and about 150 pounds of dried marijuana which was vacuum-sealed and ready
to be shipped.

Some of the operations were like factories, said Cpl. Murray Power, head of
the community response unit in Mission.

"Factories are hard to run for any length of time," said Power. "It's only
a matter of time and resources before we get there.

"This industry turns good people into criminals. People see the vision of
glamour."

"But only organized crime people make the money," said Const. Paul Hodges,
another member of the Mission RCMP. "People who grow marijuana have
everything to lose and all the risk."

The start up costs of putting together a marijuana grow op is very high.
Someone will likely have to borrow the money or equipment to get it going,
said Hodges.

Once police know about the operation and take it down, the people
responsible for it will not only lose everything police seize, but still
have to pay back their start-up costs.

"It's a glamourized industry, but it's not," said Power. "Everywhere we go
people (with grow ops) live in crappy rental houses and have bad cars."

"What about home invasions?" added Hodges, suggesting grow ops invite
crime. "Some get assaulted and even killed."

Police executed 14 search warrants in the area, but say they could've taken
down more if there was more resources available.

The Hatzic Prairie area has been inundated with marijuana grow ops.

Residents in the area know it's going on and are frustrated with it, say police.