POT PLANT WORTH $1,000, TRIAL TOLD

KITCHENER -- The street value of a marijuana plant from an indoor growing
operation is at least $1,000, a Waterloo regional police officer testified
at a sentencing hearing yesterday.

But Sgt. Daryl Goetz, a former drug officer, said the person who grew the
illegal plant will probably only receive about $500 per plant, because the
value of the drug increases as it goes down the chain of dealers and is
sold on the street for about $10 a gram. A plant weighs between 100 to 300
grams, he said.

Goetz was testifying at a sentencing hearing for five men who were
convicted last December of conspiring in the production and trafficking of
marijuana.

These charges stem from the first large marijuana drug bust dubbed Project
Bypass, in which police seized 1,380 marijuana plants worth more than $1
million during raids at eight houses in Kitchener, Cambridge and Guelph on
Sept. 12, 2000.

All five men -- Ba N. Dang, Thang Duc Nguyen, Duc H. Nguyen, Duc M. Nguyen
and Quan H. Nguyen -- pleaded guilty to conspiring in the production of
marijuana and conspiring in the possession of marijuana for the purpose of
trafficking.

Goetz also said the force spends between 60 and 120 hours in police time in
investigating these grows. That includes surveillance, search warrant
preparation, and the raids which include the removal of plants and growing
equipment.

He said officers also wear breathing apparatus and protective clothing
because of health concerns associated with the chemicals used in the
production, which add to the police cost.

And safety concerns, he said, include electrocution from the illegal hydro
bypasses, as well as carbon monoxide poisoning from poor ventilation systems.

There is also the risk of fires.

Justice Donald MacMillan has already heard three days of testimony about
the conspiracy charges as well as the impact these sophisticated grow
operations have had on the community.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled to continue on May 29.