Zilos

Marijuana-growing operations have been found in 19 housing units in the 90-unit Cranberry Lanes townhouse complex in east Richmond, prompting several residents to say they're considering a move to a safer neighbourhood.

"I'm beyond floored," renter Don Hall said of the massive marijuana seizure from five units on his street, Sharpe Avenue, and from 14 homes on nearby Muir Drive.

"I've loved this neighbourhood," he said of the area where he and his family have lived for the past eight years. "But, now, with all this . . . happening, that concerns me big-time."

Over the course of the month, Richmond RCMP have seized 1,350 marijuana plants from 19 units.

Three people were arrested during one of those searches March 24. Police said the growing operations are tied to Asian organized-crime rings.

And while the marijuana trade is nothing new to the city, Cpl. Peter Thiessen of the Richmond RCMP said it is unusual to see a number of units being used to grow marijuana in a single complex.

"We haven't had one like this before," he admitted.

Thiessen said more marijuana plants likely would have been discovered in the latest seizure on Wednesday had officers not had to issue notice to homeowners --through the complex's property manager -- before carrying out a home-by-home inspection on the suspected units.

"We likely lost upwards of 5,000 or 6,000 plants while we were waiting to gain entrance," Thiessen said. "But our ultimate goal was to get this thing shut down."

Normally, police must obtain a search warrant based on evidence gathered by investigating officers before entering a suspected marijuana-growing operation. Thiessen said that method of investigation can take weeks.

But because so many of the units were under suspicion, in this case, Thiessen said police wanted to save time.

On Tuesday, the development's property manager posted 24-hour emergency inspection notices on 21 townhouse units. In the course of that inspection, police said the property manager found evidence of 15 recently dismantled growing operations. A search warrant was executed on one more unit, resulting in no charges being laid.

Thiessen said police were aware the notice would prompt growers to harvest their illegal crops, "but we needed to get in there."

The result, he added, is that the complex "is a safer place to live."

Neighbours said expensive vehicles, including Hummers, Mercedes and Porsches, appeared to be the common denominator among residents connected with the growing operations.

Hall said the man he knew vaguely as the tenant at a raided unit on Sharpe Avenue was "the only person on the street who owned a black Mercedes SUV."

Neighbours also complained about late-night comings and goings and anti-social behaviour by residents connected with the growing operations.

Police said the majority of the townhouses involved in the operations were not being lived in.

Nanette Sharest of Carrington Properties, the Edmonton-based company that owns 89 townhomes in the Cranberry Lanes complex, said her company has learned a "valuable lesson" from the recent marijuana seizures.

Sharest said the company will step up inspections of units within the complex and tighten lease-agreement requirements.

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WNB

Nice, balanced journalism this is. From the way these two graphs are written, it's pretty obvious the reporter knew this is a little fishy. Yet she didn't talk to anyone who would say the obvious fact that a landlord cannot give police permission to enter a private dwelling.

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SkyTripper

Do these neighbors know for sure that these grow ops were directly attributed to any gang? Or was it just a bunch of residents who prefer to grow their own bud so as to not buy schwag off the street?
These neighbors didn't like these pot-growing residents' anti-social behavior? When has it become a crime to be anti-social?
Maybe, just maybe....pot-growers wouldn't be or feel the need to be anti-social if it was finally a legal alternative to drinking. But because it remains illegal, growers cannot trust their neighbors like they wish they could.
Sad reality......thank the "WAR on Drugs"....and the war on weed unfortunately is included.
At least it wasn't a bunch of meth labs surrounding them!

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king cola

"I've loved this neighbourhood," he said of the area where he and his family have lived for the past eight years. "But, now, with all this . . . happening, that concerns me big-time."

Unless there was any violence created from these grow operations i wouldn't consider it unsafe to live because people were growing a plant! No reports of any violence with all these marijuana grows going on, and they say marijuana creates violence. In reality it's prohibition that causes the violence but there still wasn't any sign of it with these grows going on.

As for the vehicles they drove, i like how they made a big deal out of it because someone had a mercedes SUV! They could have possibly afforded that before they even did the grow. If anything the way they talk of how this person was the only one who owned a mercedes SUV, to me it seems like they say this out of jealousy haha. I guess if people own porsches, hummers, mercedes, now they will use this as an excuse that their neighbors are dealing!

As for being anti social, that doesn't always mean criminal activity, some people just like to keep to themselves. They say that this was asian organized crime, how do they figure it's organized crime? Were they just asians who were growing marijuana so they are assuming it's a asian gang even though they do exist? If that's the reason, then i guess we can say marijuana and racism is still very much alive like it was in the 1930's. Crime gangs aren't the only ones who are into grow ops, a chain of people/friends could be in on one but that doesn't mean they are gang members. If they can prove it was then i would believe it, otherwise they could just be saying it as a scare tactic.

In conclusion it is a big bust but things like this are going on all over the place so it's not putting a dent in the war on drugs or the war on marijuana alone.

Kool Keith

"1,350 marijuana plants from 19 units" is a little more than personal usage, by anyones standards. It probably was asian organized crime.

snakedbz2

and the article does say that most of the units used were not being lived in

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erraticimpact

That is actually not more than personal usage and that is by Canadian federal standards. The following is a link regarding a person who has a federal permit for 137 plants for her own use.

http://bcmp.blogspot.com/2005/03/gro...your-jail.html

Buzzby

Did you miss this part of the article?

Thiessen said more marijuana plants likely would have been discovered in the latest seizure on Wednesday had officers not had to issue notice to homeowners --through the complex's property manager -- before carrying out a home-by-home inspection on the suspected units.

They were following the law.


I don't know many individuals who grow thousands of plants for their own use.

Police said the majority of the townhouses involved in the operations were not being lived in.

That would make them "non-residents", wouldn't it?

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