cannabisnews.com: Local Homes Gone To Pot

Local Homes Gone To Pot
Posted by FoM on December 09, 2001 at 08:49:06 PT
By John Steinbachs -- Ottawa Sun
Source: Ottawa Sun
At first glance, the home looks like any other in the land of manicured lawns and two-car garages. The yard is kept clean, the grass is cut and kids skip past on their way to the local school. But take a closer look and something just doesn't seem right. The windows are blacked out, a strange smell hangs in the air and the quiet, new owner is rarely home. And then Ottawa's drug squad arrives. Officers jump out of vehicles, knock down the front door and run inside with guns drawn.
That's how many Ottawa residents are finding out their next-door neighbour is running a marijuana-growing operation. Police say well co-ordinated drug trafficking organizations have moved into the city at an alarming rate and set up profitable marijuana-growing operations in suburban Ottawa, in neighbourhoods from Kanata to Orleans. "We're just banging houses. I've never seen a wave like it in my life," says Ottawa Police Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault. "They're everywhere in the city." So far this year, Ottawa Police have raided more than 35 homes and seized about $10.5 million worth of high-grade pot. Many more are suspected to be operating in the city. "That's a lot of marijuana," says Pinault. "It's organized drug trafficking and it's definitely organized crime." The sheer number of the homes involved has allowed police to raid them back-to-back. CLOSE TO HOME On Oct. 5, police swarmed two Springland Dr. homes and found about 600-800 plants. On Oct. 26, officers executed warrants at addresses on Fallowfield and Baseline roads in the west end and Park Lane in the south end. By the time they were done, one woman and three men were in custody and more than $1 million worth of marijuana was headed for disposal. In early November, police seized 162 marijuana plants at a Hilliard Ave. home. The next day they raided a Meadowlands Dr. residence and found a 500-plant operation. Many of those arrested are transplanted British Columbians, some with outstanding charges or previous drug convictions. Police believe there are enough of the homes still running to keep them hammering away for months. It's a new phenomenon for police across the province, from Windsor to the capital and into Quebec. Ottawa Police heard rumblings from other forces about the cottage industry expansion about a year ago as they began popping up in different parts of the province. For years, drug squad officers trudged through the forests of Cumberland or the Green Belt to find marijuana-growing operations. Now, they're finding a disturbing number have moved indoors. "They're very sophisticated and very well designed," says Pinault. "The profit margin is very high." Ottawa is just the latest stop for these drug dealers who have operations from coast-to-coast. Most recently, they've been working in the Windsor-Ottawa corridor. Officers in York Region, Peel, Niagara, Toronto and Kitchener are finding dozens of the growing operations where only a handful ran before. And in almost every case, the situation is the same. The drug dealers show up in town and buy or rent a home in an upscale area. Using hydroponic equipment, they convert several rooms in the house into a growing area, leaving only a room or two for the caretaker to sleep and live in. RENOVATION OF SORTS The house is totally converted: Ventilation pipes are run through closets and ceilings. Humidity, heat and sunlight are all controlled, providing the perfect growing condition for the illicit harvest. They even re-route power around their hydro meter, creating a public safety hazard that police are growing increasingly worried about. The organized crime rings that run the operations usually hire a person to take care of the growing, sending them a set amount of cash each month, between $2,000-$4,000 to pay rent or take care of the place. When police arrive, they often find no one home or a single caretaker running the house. In one case, they found a family of four with two children running a grow. Pinault says growers are going inside for several reasons. It's easier to avoid detection from police planes and pesky hikers and there is potentially a big return on a small investment. Growers can have a single operation up and running for about $10,000. That includes hydroponic equipment, electricity, fans and light timers and the necessary soil, plants, fertilizers and pesticides. The OPP's drug squad has also seen a rise in the number of home grows in areas surrounding Ottawa. This year, they've raided 25 homes in towns like Kemptville, Winchester and Palmer Rapids. The most common types of operations seen throughout the province are two- or three-stage grows, says OPP Det.-Sgt. Paul Henry. The growers will have several rooms set up -- one as a nursery, one for middle-sized plants and another room for the final harvesting stage. "It only takes 12-15 weeks for a plant to fully mature, under these growing conditions, so you can have a grow coming up for harvest every month," says Henry. $25GS A MONTH On a normal operation, the growers can raise about $25,000 a month, says Henry. The set-ups are also attractive because of the penalties growers face if they are caught by police. A home grow operator without a record is unlikely to face any jail time, says Henry. The drug houses are also time consuming for police who have to put in several hours on several shifts to find the homes, get warrants and complete a raid. They then have to sort through the house, dismantling the operation and taking samples of the drugs. With many more home grows likely operating in Ottawa, police are teaming up with other forces to figure out who is behind the operations. "We're very well on our way to finding out who the stars are," says Pinault. Ottawa Police are also looking at proceeds of crime legislation and trying to seize homes where the grow operations have sprouted. Note: Cops battling increase of marijuana-growing operations in area.Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)Author: John Steinbachs -- Ottawa SunPublished: December 9, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: editor sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:FTE's Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmIndoor Pot Farms Spreadinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11363.shtmlThe Taxman's Lost Cash Crophttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10531.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by freedom fighter on December 10, 2001 at 09:59:08 PT
Heard that so many times!
"We're very well on our way to finding out who the stars are," says Pinault.
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Comment #8 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on December 09, 2001 at 15:13:34 PT
Labatts
Yet Ontario's largest producer of mind-altering killer substances continues to operate in over-the-counter respectability, providing tax revenue to the community, and it can advertise on American television. Hypocrites!
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Comment #7 posted by goneposthole on December 09, 2001 at 14:38:49 PT
Actually
I think the headline should read: 'Local Pot Goes to Homes'.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 09, 2001 at 14:30:18 PT
Just a comment
Hi Everyone,
The news is slow and I could post a few articles I've seen but I would just as soon let the news be slow and wait until it picks up. Last December the news was also slow and this year because of 9-11 it could get even slower. If you see an article that I missed please sent it to me and I'll check it out. Since Cannabis News was mentioned in High Times I'm trying to stay close to Cannabis topics because that is what was empathized in the magazine for a little while. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.
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Comment #5 posted by John Markes on December 09, 2001 at 13:52:44 PT
seems obvious...
regulate...

regulate...

...
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Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on December 09, 2001 at 12:02:24 PT
Benjamin Franklin
On September11, 1773:"There never was a good war or a bad peace."We should know this as well by now. But Nooooooooooooooooo
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Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on December 09, 2001 at 11:28:03 PT
Sing the song of freedom
By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
and there he wept
when he remembered ZionTwas the wicked carried us away in captivity
Required from us a song
How can we sing King Alpha's song
In a strange land?So let the words of our mouth
and the meditations of our heart
be acceptable in Thy sight
Oh verai!
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 09, 2001 at 10:10:46 PT
History Lessons
There is nothing new under the Sun. History will always repeat itself. Every Empire or Civilization has had things they hate and punish and as we look back we see what a foolish reason it was and in the end caused such saddness and destruction to people. Prohibition of drugs will be recorded in history as one of the biggest, worst and misdirected laws in our history. What do political historians think about the drug war? If they don't think anything about it who should?
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Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on December 09, 2001 at 09:55:27 PT
Just like the Christians during the Roman times
It was illegal to be a Christian during the times of the Roman Empire. Your property was siezed, and you were no longer free. Emperor Nero fed Christians to wild dog packs and used Christian fat to light his torches. He was keen to blame Christians when Rome burned. An all around nice guy, kind of like the DEA guy living next to you and you and you.Emperor Constantine brought it all to an end, legalized Chritsianity, and returned property that was siezed by the Roman government..I know that I have posted similar information, but it bears repeating here. What needs to be done is have policy that embraces legalization. It may sound loony to the prohibitionists, but it is the only sensible course of action. No other approach is going to work.Read it and weep, prohibitionists. You are going to lose because there is no such thing as victory in this mess. Your behavior and actions are insuring defeat. Prohibition is for dividing, not uniting I am quite sure the American and Canadian banking systems have experienced a large inflow of hard American cash reaching the Canadian banks for exchange purposes. I wonder where that money is coming from?People want pot because it is the only mind expanding substance that is worth having. Desire is 99% of the market.
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