POLICE USE CHOPPER IN HUNT FOR LOCAL MARIJUANA FIELDS

Police are getting high in South Simcoe to bring a few drug growers down to
earth.

As part of an ongoing program to catch illegal crops of marijuana in rural
areas, the OPP take to the skies in a helicopter. Tuesday's operation was
staged at the G.A. Wright Athletic Fields in Alliston.

The helicopter -- which had landed on a soccer pitch -- had a few people
slowing to take a closer look.

Along with the helicopter, there were several support vehicles, including a
large police cube van, used to haul away evidence after being spotted by
the flying dope snoops.

Scott Ross, a sergeant with the aviation services section of the OPP, said
the aerial unit is based out of Orillia and has been looking for illegal
grow operations since the early 1990s.

"Last year, the program netted about 80,000 plants," Ross said.

The unit will patrols just about all of Ontario, right from Windsor in the
west to the Quebec border in the east. Earlier this week the unit patrolled
the Kenora/Dryden area.

Compared to units used to spot inside grow operations, the outdoor unit is
decidedly low-tech.

"We don't use infrared, heat seekers or anything like that," Ross said.
Instead, the officers depend on a good set of binoculars and their good
eyesight.

He said marijuana crops are easy to spot for the trained set of eyes.

"It's the color differential between the other types of crops," Ross said.
Marijuana is darker than any other plants indigenous to Ontario, he said.

Up to four officers take to the skies and spend about three hours at a time
before landing to refuel.

Ross said he suspected it wouldn't take too long patrolling South Simcoe to
spot enough plants to fill the van.