GOING TO POT

Linda knew her neighbours were a little different.

The couple was fiercely private, often cloaking their windows with heavy
drapes. They rarely went outside and would come and go at odd hours of the
day and night.

"But honestly, I never really thought anything of it," said Linda (who
doesn't want her real name published for fear her home may be targeted).

"And then the police showed up one day and they started hauling garbage bag
after garbage bag of marijuana out of there. It was a little bit of a
shock," she added.

Since January, Kamloops Mounties have used search warrants to raid 20 homes
- -- including 11 in the last two weeks -- and seized millions of dollars
worth of potent and much sought-after B.C. Bud.

Police have even been surprised by what they've discovered inside the
houses, some of which are converted into sophisticated grow operations
averaging 700 plants.

"These are very healthy, six-foot plants. These people are professionals
and are very good at what they do," explained Const. Dave Lucas with the
Kamloops RCMP's drug section.

In most cases, the entire house is predominantly used as a grow-op. Plants
are grown under bare 1,000-watt metal halide or high-pressure sodium light
bulbs, surrounded by fans and air cleaners.

Holes more than 40 centimetres in diameter are carved in the floor boards
and through the roof and chimney to make room for venting equipment.
Temperature, light and nutrients are also meticulously regulated in the
hydroponic mini-climate to allow growers to cultivate a two-metre plant in
roughly three months. That single plant is estimated to be worth $2,000,
while a gram of dried marijuana sells for between $15 and $20 on the street.

Holes are cut into the drywall to expose the electrical feed to the house.
Growers then bypass the electric meter with their own wires and steal
electricity, said Const. Nick Lee, also with the RCMP's drug section.

Pilfering electricity is one way growers can evade the suspicious eye of BC
Hydro.

Costs are reduced to $20 a month rather than the staggering $800
electricity bills that are often seen with grow operations, Lee added.

There may be a mattress or a small propane stove for cooking but otherwise
there is little indication anyone lives in the house. Any evidence, such as
bills or other paperwork, is destroyed or includes fake names and addresses.

"They'll even scratch off any identification from prescription medication,
anything that leaves a name or some kind of identification," said Lee.

Most of the homes are rentals, although Lucas recalled a large bust
recently in an 3,000-square-foot, owner-occupied home on North River Drive
in Batchelor Heights.

He noted that 39 police files have been opened since January 2002 on what
RCMP consider large-scale grow operations in the city. Lucas said officers
began doing intelligence work and focusing more on the pot-growing
operations when a trend began emerging last year.

"We started seeing more and more of these kind of large-scale grow-ops.
People shouldn't kid themselves -- this is 100 per cent organized crime,"
he said.

The term organized crime often suggests ties to Hells Angels motorcycle
gangs but Lucas said that's not the case in Kamloops. Police have found no
connection locally to the Hells Angels and the grow-ops they've dismantled,
but say the drugs are also not destined for local streets.

Once cultivated, the marijuana is shipped to Vancouver, where it is most
often shipped to the U.S. in exchange for firearms, cocaine and cash.

"It's organized in that these people are very sophisticated and know what
they're doing," Lucas said.

While the growers themselves or those paid to tend to the plants aren't
often violent, police believe the marijuana trafficking generates violence.
It's why the RCMP say the public needs to realize how serious these
large-scale grow operations in Kamloops are.

"A lot of people, even some of the neighbours we've spoken to, don't feel
marijuana is a big deal. Well, these people involved are criminals," Lee
said. When electricity is bypassed, there is the danger of fire and mould
that coats the attics and walls of these homes is less than healthy.

If homeowners notice a strong smell wafting from their neighbours homes or
anything suspicious, Lee urges them to call police.

"We've heard from some neighbours that they could smell something funny for
a long time but never thought much of it," he said.

Of the 11 homes raided recently, four people now face drug-related charges,
including production of a controlled substance and theft of electricity.
More people could be charged in the coming weeks as charges have been
forwarded to the federal Crown prosecutors.

But both Lee and Lucas admit it's frustrating to see those accused go
through the courts. Even if they're caught with hundreds of marijuana
plants, growers often get off without jail time.

They face fines, probation and seizures of their equipment but are
typically back in business in short order. Canada doesn't have U.S.-style
mandatory sentencing laws for drug offenses.

"But, you know, it's still really satisfying to go inside one of these
homes, take out 700 or 800 plants and all the equipment and know these guys
are going to be out of business for at least three months," Lucas added,
with a smile.