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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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CN BC: Pot-Growing Homes Will Be Seized
ccguide Sunday 22 Jun 2003 Pubdate: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 The Abbotsford Times Contact: Website: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009 Author: Kevin Gillies POT-GROWING HOMES WILL BE SEIZED Abbotsford police have cast an interested eye Surrey's way with developments this week in how that city is handling the thriving marijuana growing industry. The City of Surrey is cracking down on residential marijuana-growing operations by seizing the homes the pot is grown in. "We're aware of the Surrey situation," Abbotsford police chief Ian Mackenzie said Tuesday. On Wednesday he said the force has gone one step further. "We are in the process of doing one now," the chief told the Times. "I do think it's the way to go. It does hit the grower's pocketbook." Earlier this week a $439,000 Surrey house was forfeited to the federal government after a woman was convicted of operating a marijuana growing operation inside it. On March 4 Surrey RCMP went into the house at 10865 166A St. where they found a sophisticated pot operation that included 397 pot plants, a hydro bypass, surveillance cameras and a motion detector that triggered a switch to shut off the hydro bypass if anyone approached the electricity meter on the house's exterior. June 11 Bich Ngoc Vu, 57, pleaded guilty in provincial court to producing a controlled substance and was sentenced to a 12-month conditional sentence and, more importantly, the house she owned was forfeited to the Crown as offence-related property. "It's based on conviction," Mackenzie said. "You can seize the house on the approval of the charge." But he explained that any funds that are recovered through the seizure will go to federal Crown and not the municipality, nor the police department. "There is a protocol in place where some of that money comes back," Mackenzie said. But he said having all the money come back to policing would cause ethical concerns and perception problems for police. For instance, if busting growing operations proved to be more profitable than having officers in classrooms, police departments might put more resources into "green teams" than school liaison programs. Nonetheless, the chief said that doesn't detract from property seizures' value as a crime-fighting tool. "It's a very good tactic," he said. "We're going to be looking at that as most municipalities will." The Surrey house seizure marked the first time in B.C. history, and only the second time in Canada, that a grow-op house has been forfeited to the Crown. Nine other Surrey houses have been restrained by the courts [they cannot be bought or sold] and they are awaiting final disposition after the criminal trials occur. Police say marijuana growing operations are driven by organized crime groups and bring violence and harder drugs into the community. Police are encouraging members of the public to contact local police if they suspect a growing operation in their neighbourhood. The Surrey forfeiture was carried out with the co-operation of the federal Crown counsel and the federal Department of Justice, who act on behalf of the Attorney General of Canada. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake
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