RICHMOND RCMP'S GREEN CLEAN TEAM BUSTS MORE GROW-OPS

Two more large-scale marijuana operations have been shut down in Richmond
since the RCMP and the city jointly launched its Operation Green Clean - a
team of police officers dedicated to busting pot grow-ops - last month.

The latest investigations uncovered 2,000 pot plants growing in three
separate commercial buildings in the 11700-block of River Road.

Police officers were sent to the area earlier last week to deal with a
single grow-op when they discovered the other two.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the bust and face charges
of pot production and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Richmond RCMP media liaison Const. Peter Thiessen said the Green Clean team
isn't necessarily targeting industrial-area grow-ops, though many of its
recent successes have been from commercial sites.

"It's a matter of the intelligence we're getting," he said. "These
warehouses are obviously well suited for these larger (pot) operations."

In other crime news relating to the marijuana trade in Richmond, Thiessen
reported two recent break-ins to homes where pot had been growing.

Thiessen said it appeared the houses (in the 7400-block of No. 4 Road and
10000-block of No. 2 Road) had been specifically targeted by thieves
because of their pot.

Besides the criminal intent of the thieves, Thiessen said these kinds of
break-ins - commonly referred to as "grow-rips" - can be dangerous, even
fatal, for those involved.

"People involved in the production of marijuana have been known to secure
their crop in various ways," he said.

"It's not uncommon to find various weapons, including firearms, at these
operations."

Thiessen said the thieves - usually young men in their teens or early 20s -
are "playing with fire" and could find themselves in a more dangerous
situation than they anticipated.