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THURSDAY, Y FEBRUARY 18, 2010
MISSION’S OLYMPIC PERFORMER Dan Crich had a part in the opening ceremonies PAGE 26
VALLEY CHAMPIONS
A growing
The Mission Roadrunners won gold at the Fraser Valley tournament, and move on to the provincials. PAGE 22
SWEEPING REFORMS Changes to the school calendar, school boundaries and grade configurations all on the table under Vision 2020 review. PAGE 4
RCMP maps show grow ops in every corner of Mission BY CAROL AUN Mission Record
M
arijuana grow ops can pop up just about anywhere in any community. No neighbourhood is immune, and Mission is no exception. Police investigate and take down these illegal grow operations from one end of town to another, and are beginning to map the progress. These maps are created by the detachment’s crime analyst and presented as information to the public. They can be viewed on the Mission RCMP website at www.mission.rcmp.ca. The maps also remind residents grow ops can happen in any neighbourhood, even yours, said Cpl. Sharon Siluch.
They only show homes that have been busted, and provide a comparison from year to year. Last year police took down 50 marijuana grows operations and seized 41,103 plants and 105,743 grams of dried marijuana bud worth about $1,057,430. In 2008, 88 grow ops were busted, and there were 65 in 2007. So far this year, police have been busy with three. The RCMP street crime unit, with one officer dedicated to grow ops, is mainly responsible for investigating and taking down these illegal operations. The team can be extremely busy, depending on the number of reports and priorities.
Police say a lot of tips come in from residents who suspect there is a grow op in their neighbourhood, and through Crime Stoppers, an anonymous tip line for police. Not all grow ops are gang-related, but most of them are affiliated with criminal activity, according to police. Regular people could grow the crop, but they still have to find someone to buy it, Siluch explained. She added nobody will admit organized crime is funding their operation. “There are ones that are legal, and regulated through Health Canada, but we are aware of them,” said Siluch. The regulated grows are for medicinal pur-
CELEBRATING OUR HERITAGE Sunday’s Pioneer Social was one of many events under way for Heritage Week. PAGE 11
See MARIJUANA A page 3
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