T
The420Guy
Guest
KITCHENER -- The number of home-grown marijuana operations in Waterloo
Region could reach epidemic proportions if the community doesn't take a
stand against pot growers, says the head of the police force's drug squad.
"Do citizens of Waterloo Region want to become another Vancouver? We are
headed that way, if we don't become more vigilant,'' said Staff Sgt. Ray
Massicotte of Waterloo regional police.
In the greater Vancouver area, there are about 7,000 indoor marijuana
operations, so many that police are having a hard time getting a handle on
them, said Massicotte.
So far, local police have busted about 60 people in drug raids throughout
the region. Police believe there are at least another 200 homes running
indoor marijuana grow operations in the area.
Most of them are similar in design -- the plants are the same quality and
the growing equipment with its floor fans, high-wattage light bulbs and
umbrella-shaped reflectors are also the same.
And most of the front-line workers in the "criminal organization" are
Vietnamese, police say.
Sometimes, those arrested are families with children who live in the home,
while others rent the house and don't live permanently in the home.
The homes seem to be two-storey houses with a double-car garage, located in
family neighbourhoods.
Yesterday, there was another such bust on Westforest Trail. The
four-bedroom, suburban home is in the Westheights area of Kitchener where
houses start at about $200,000.
By 7:30 a.m., officers with the drug squad were banging on the door.
Sitting in the living room was a 45-year-old female and a 47-year-old male,
both of Vietnamese descent. A six-year-old boy was also in the house. Family
and Children's Services took custody of the child.
The couple was charged with cultivating marijuana, possession for the
purpose of trafficking and theft of hydro. They were to appear in bail court
today.
On the front lawn of the house, police put up a sign that tells passersby
the house has been raided and asks people to call Crimestoppers with tips.
Police found 520 marijuana plants growing in the basement of the
2,200-square-foot house. Each plant is valued at about $1,000, police said.
There were some starter plants on the top floor.
Officers dressed in protective suits, breathing apparatus and rubber gloves
carried the plants and about $15,000 worth of growing equipment to a large
rental truck. Workers with Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro were also at the house.
"There are so many dangers in this house,'' said Massicotte, referring to
the fire hazards due to the bypassed hydro. "The ground can be electrified
and there is potential for shock.''
Massicotte said police need to continue to bust the pot-growing operations,
but the judicial system needs to give sentences that reflect the seriousness
of the crime.
Only a handful of those running the pot operations have appeared in court.
The first sentence got a 21-year-old man an 18-month conditional sentence.
None of the charges has resulted in jail time.
Massicotte said the number of home grow operations continues to proliferate
because it is extremely profitable. "It's like operating a franchise,'' he
said.
Newshawk: Herb
Source: Kitchener-Waterloo Record
225 Fairway Road South, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2G 4E5
Date: Thursday November 1, 2001
Website: Waterloo Region News - Latest Daily Breaking News Stories | TheRecord.com
Contact: recordletters@southam.ca
=A9Kitchener-Waterloo Record 2001
Author: Liz Monteiro
Region could reach epidemic proportions if the community doesn't take a
stand against pot growers, says the head of the police force's drug squad.
"Do citizens of Waterloo Region want to become another Vancouver? We are
headed that way, if we don't become more vigilant,'' said Staff Sgt. Ray
Massicotte of Waterloo regional police.
In the greater Vancouver area, there are about 7,000 indoor marijuana
operations, so many that police are having a hard time getting a handle on
them, said Massicotte.
So far, local police have busted about 60 people in drug raids throughout
the region. Police believe there are at least another 200 homes running
indoor marijuana grow operations in the area.
Most of them are similar in design -- the plants are the same quality and
the growing equipment with its floor fans, high-wattage light bulbs and
umbrella-shaped reflectors are also the same.
And most of the front-line workers in the "criminal organization" are
Vietnamese, police say.
Sometimes, those arrested are families with children who live in the home,
while others rent the house and don't live permanently in the home.
The homes seem to be two-storey houses with a double-car garage, located in
family neighbourhoods.
Yesterday, there was another such bust on Westforest Trail. The
four-bedroom, suburban home is in the Westheights area of Kitchener where
houses start at about $200,000.
By 7:30 a.m., officers with the drug squad were banging on the door.
Sitting in the living room was a 45-year-old female and a 47-year-old male,
both of Vietnamese descent. A six-year-old boy was also in the house. Family
and Children's Services took custody of the child.
The couple was charged with cultivating marijuana, possession for the
purpose of trafficking and theft of hydro. They were to appear in bail court
today.
On the front lawn of the house, police put up a sign that tells passersby
the house has been raided and asks people to call Crimestoppers with tips.
Police found 520 marijuana plants growing in the basement of the
2,200-square-foot house. Each plant is valued at about $1,000, police said.
There were some starter plants on the top floor.
Officers dressed in protective suits, breathing apparatus and rubber gloves
carried the plants and about $15,000 worth of growing equipment to a large
rental truck. Workers with Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro were also at the house.
"There are so many dangers in this house,'' said Massicotte, referring to
the fire hazards due to the bypassed hydro. "The ground can be electrified
and there is potential for shock.''
Massicotte said police need to continue to bust the pot-growing operations,
but the judicial system needs to give sentences that reflect the seriousness
of the crime.
Only a handful of those running the pot operations have appeared in court.
The first sentence got a 21-year-old man an 18-month conditional sentence.
None of the charges has resulted in jail time.
Massicotte said the number of home grow operations continues to proliferate
because it is extremely profitable. "It's like operating a franchise,'' he
said.
Newshawk: Herb
Source: Kitchener-Waterloo Record
225 Fairway Road South, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2G 4E5
Date: Thursday November 1, 2001
Website: Waterloo Region News - Latest Daily Breaking News Stories | TheRecord.com
Contact: recordletters@southam.ca
=A9Kitchener-Waterloo Record 2001
Author: Liz Monteiro
