1 MILLION IN MARIJUANA SEIZED

Almost 2,000 marijuana plants with a street value of about $1 million were
seized from Sarnia-Lambton corn-fields this week by law enforcement and
armed forces personnel.

Using a Canadian Forces Gryphon helicopter, authorities were able to spot
marijuana growing in rural areas before swooping in with troops, RCMP, OPP,
Sarnia Police and Lambton County Drug Unit officers.

In another marijuana eradication program development, Crime Stoppers has
announced it will double its cash rewards during the next two months for
tips leading to drug-related arrests.

Program co-ordinator, OPP Const. Murray Finch, said September and October
are traditionally the months when drug growers are busy harvesting and
packaging their outdoor crops for sale. It's also the time when more people
have information about such activities.

"We're trying to encourage more calls from people who have knowledge about
drug growers in Sarnia-Lambton," Finch said. "The incentive is the cash
reward. If we can create a better incentive for people to call in, we'll
take more drugs off the street."

Normally, Crime Stoppers pays out cash rewards of up to $1,000 for
information about a crime that leads to an arrest. Under the increased
rewards program the maximum reward being offered for the next two months is
$2,000.

Finch said callers to Crime Stoppers do not have to disclose their identity
and Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to caller display or call trace.

Last September and October, local police seized more than $850,000 in
marijuana as a direct result of information received through Crime Stoppers.

As for the increased rewards, Finch says, "it seems to work in taking drugs
off the street. The grow season is over and basically they tend to harvest
the drugs in September and October, and of course the packaging and drying
takes place then as well."

Finch said it is during this period when growers have picked their crop and
are stashing it in barns and in sheds for drying and packaging.

"When it's in movement like that, more people are privy to that information
and it's a better time to grab them," he said.

Prior to this week's developments, police had already taken approximately
$1.7 million in marijuana off the streets of Sarnia-Lambton so far this
year. That's nearly double the $977,000 worth of cannabis seized all of last
year.