HYDRO TIPS POLICE TO HIGH CLASS GROW-OP

Vancouver police believe the tenants who were growing marijuana in a
$2-million mansion on Southwest Marine Drive are connected to other drug
operations in the city.

Insp. Kash Heed, head of drug enforcement, said police are still searching
for at least two males connected to the 500-plant operation in the basement
of the house in the 2200-block of Southwest Marine Drive.

Police raided the 7,000 square-foot house, which has a four-car garage and
basketball court, on Wednesday after receiving a tip from B.C. Hydro
concerning the alleged theft of about 30,000 watts of electricity a month.

Heed said it's the first time police have raided such an expensive house in
such an affluent neighbourhood, but was quick to point out what police have
been saying for several years: no neighbourhood is safe from grow-ops.

"No matter what neighbourhood you are in-whether it's on the lower
socio-economic scale or the higher socio-economic scale-these
grow-operations exist," he said, noting police have also discovered
grow-ops in less expensive houses on West 34th and West 37th streets.

In this case, the house was unoccupied when police arrived, but full of
plants, growing equipment, new and used soil and expensive furniture,
including high-end rosewood sofas, chairs and china cabinets.

In a police-escorted tour of the house Thursday, the Courier was taken
through a junkyard of ventilation tubing, wiring, planter pots, reflective
tarps and fans in what was originally designed to be an elegant basement,
complete with a sauna, bar and fireplace.

Condensation from the grow-op had caused the hardwood floor to buckle and
the walls were coated with mildew. Tarps covering the basement windows had
a white backing to give the impression from outside that the basement
lights were on.

On the main floor, at least 50 bags of new soil were kept in a
Japanese-style room, while a room off the kitchen was littered with old
McDonald's bags and wrappers, empty paper Starbucks coffee cups, full
ashtrays and other garbage.

Upstairs, the master bedroom, which had an adjoining jacuzzi tub and
walk-in shower, also had a large closet where "starter" plants were grown.
The other two bedrooms had beds but the mattresses were sheetless, which
leads police to believe the tenants were only in the house part-time to
maintain and harvest the plants.

Police said the tenants moved in nine months ago, which means three crops
could have been harvested during their stay. The estimated value of the 500
plants seized Wednesday was between $230,000 and $250,000.

The owner of the house is Nigel Huang, according to city hall records. Heed
said the landlord lives in Taipei. Huang's lawyer told police Huang had no
idea the tenants were growing marijuana.

Heed said costs of the clean-up and repairs to the house could reach
$100,000, considering damage to the hardwood floors, carpets and electrical
and ventilation systems. The city has since posted a legal notice on the
front door indicating the house is not safe to occupy.

On Thursday, police discovered the house had been broken into overnight and
a big-screen television, a case of wine and paintings had been moved near
the inside of the front door.

Neighbour Amrik Rai said he was surprised to learn of the grow-op. Rai said
he never met the tenants and didn't know who or how many people were living
in the house. He noticed a van in the house's circular driveway last week
but never suspected anything illegal.

"The people running the operation must have come at night because we've
never heard or seen anything out of the ordinary," he said, as he looked
across his driveway to the house.

On average, police bust eight to 10 grow-ops a week, Heed said. The mansion
bust was one of four Wednesday, along with raids in the 2300-block Rosedale
(290 plants), the 2500-block East 6th (220 plants) and the 3500-block
Adanac (663 plants). Police also busted another three grow-ops Thursday
worth more than a half million dollars.

Marijuana sells for about $2,500 a pound in the city. Last year, Vancouver
police busted about 475 grow-ops and seized $97 million worth of marijuana.