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The420Guy
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Disguises so convincing, real OPP officers initially confused
A band of resourceful thieves who masqueraded as police officers to rob a
huge marijuana grow operation on Sunday found themselves in a tense standoff
when they were met by a team of real police in the throes of raiding the
same outfit.
Their disguises were so convincing -- SWAT team windbreakers, imitation
badges, pistols and even collapsible batons -- the bona fide investigators
were not sure at first if the thieves were legitimate or not.
When the Ontario Provincial Police team finally went in for the arrest, the
armed bandits in blue resisted.
"They were seconds from a gun fight," said Vaughn Collins, an OPP deputy
commissioner.
But the impersonators eventually gave up.
Police pointed to the sophisticated robbery attempt at the central Ontario
farm as evidence of the increasing dangers spawned by an "epidemic" of
marijuana grow operations in Canada, many of them run by bikers and other
organized criminals.
"I haven't seen anything like this before," said Constable Ted Schendera, an
OPP spokesman.
"It's obvious there was a lot of planning ... going to the extremes that
they did to obtain the police replica items and to make themselves look like
that."
Police estimate there are as many as 50,000 indoor and outdoor marijuana
grow operations across Canada, producing plants with a street value in the
billions of dollars.
Ten members of the OPP's drug enforcement section arrived at a farm north of
the town of Coboconk in the Kawartha Lakes district on Sunday, eventually
discovering 18,000 plants there -- worth an estimated $18-million on the
street.
Before they could raid the operation, six men showed up wearing police
tactical-team gear, including windbreakers clearly marked with the word
"Police," handguns and a high-powered rifle. At least one of the intruders
had on a bullet-proof vest.
The OPP team waited in hiding for a few moments, trying to figure out if the
new arrivals were fellow police officers or not, said Const. Schendera. When
the fake officers began cutting down plants and packing them away, the
police had their answer and moved in for the takedown.
"There was a bit of a confrontation, more verbal than anything," Const.
Schendera said.
Deputy commissioner Collins said police are so overwhelmed trying to combat
thousands of marijuana operations, it is the only kind of drug enforcement
they are doing now.
Charged with drug, weapons and impersonation of police charges are Gordon
Churchill, 50, and his sons Jody, 26, and Nick, 29, all of Port Perry; Shane
Prince, 30, of Oshawa; Garfield Lefort, 27, of Port Perry; and Philip
Weddel, 28, of Uxbridge.
At a bail hearing yesterday, all were ordered to remain in custody until a
court appearance tomorrow.
Pubdate: Tue, 09 Sep 2003
Source: National Post (Canada)
Webpage: MapInc
A band of resourceful thieves who masqueraded as police officers to rob a
huge marijuana grow operation on Sunday found themselves in a tense standoff
when they were met by a team of real police in the throes of raiding the
same outfit.
Their disguises were so convincing -- SWAT team windbreakers, imitation
badges, pistols and even collapsible batons -- the bona fide investigators
were not sure at first if the thieves were legitimate or not.
When the Ontario Provincial Police team finally went in for the arrest, the
armed bandits in blue resisted.
"They were seconds from a gun fight," said Vaughn Collins, an OPP deputy
commissioner.
But the impersonators eventually gave up.
Police pointed to the sophisticated robbery attempt at the central Ontario
farm as evidence of the increasing dangers spawned by an "epidemic" of
marijuana grow operations in Canada, many of them run by bikers and other
organized criminals.
"I haven't seen anything like this before," said Constable Ted Schendera, an
OPP spokesman.
"It's obvious there was a lot of planning ... going to the extremes that
they did to obtain the police replica items and to make themselves look like
that."
Police estimate there are as many as 50,000 indoor and outdoor marijuana
grow operations across Canada, producing plants with a street value in the
billions of dollars.
Ten members of the OPP's drug enforcement section arrived at a farm north of
the town of Coboconk in the Kawartha Lakes district on Sunday, eventually
discovering 18,000 plants there -- worth an estimated $18-million on the
street.
Before they could raid the operation, six men showed up wearing police
tactical-team gear, including windbreakers clearly marked with the word
"Police," handguns and a high-powered rifle. At least one of the intruders
had on a bullet-proof vest.
The OPP team waited in hiding for a few moments, trying to figure out if the
new arrivals were fellow police officers or not, said Const. Schendera. When
the fake officers began cutting down plants and packing them away, the
police had their answer and moved in for the takedown.
"There was a bit of a confrontation, more verbal than anything," Const.
Schendera said.
Deputy commissioner Collins said police are so overwhelmed trying to combat
thousands of marijuana operations, it is the only kind of drug enforcement
they are doing now.
Charged with drug, weapons and impersonation of police charges are Gordon
Churchill, 50, and his sons Jody, 26, and Nick, 29, all of Port Perry; Shane
Prince, 30, of Oshawa; Garfield Lefort, 27, of Port Perry; and Philip
Weddel, 28, of Uxbridge.
At a bail hearing yesterday, all were ordered to remain in custody until a
court appearance tomorrow.
Pubdate: Tue, 09 Sep 2003
Source: National Post (Canada)
Webpage: MapInc
