SLIPUPS LEAD COPS TO FIVE GROW-OPS

At a rate of nearly one a day --and thanks to some lucky breaks
courtesy of slip-ups by crooks -- Calgary cops recently discovered
several pot growing operations.

Since Friday, in five finds, they seized nearly $2 million worth of
marijuana, said drug unit Staff Sgt. Monty Sparrow.

Two of the discoveries were made when fire crews were called to house
fires.

One saw a blaze spread in a Temple home basement while the other
erupted when a man was cooking an illegal drug concoction.

On Friday and Saturday, two landlords left in the lurch by runaway
tenants called cops after finding their property had been used to
house an illegal grow operation.

Then on Monday night cops came upon another grow-op in Monterey Park
after investigating a gun call.

While Sparrow said he is pleased with the accidental discoveries, it
underscores the extent of the problem.

Cops bust two to three grow-ops each week and estimate there are more
than 2,000 operating at any given time, Sparrow said.

The recent finds are also a reminder of the associated perils with the
illegal activity.

"It gives us and the public a strong indication they are dangerous and
the potential of fire is a day-to-day hazard," Sparrow said.

It's also not uncommon to find young children living in such houses,
exposed to dangerous mould, while neighbours are at risk given
violence the lucrative operations can attract, Sparrow said.

"There is always that danger of bring crime in to the neighbourhood,"
Sparrow said.

Cops are now at the $30-million mark in seizures this year at 46
houses, compared to about $18 million in the same period in 2006.

A substantial factor behind the hike is a recent blitz yielding $15
million in seizures.