Illegal Drug Grow Ops



by Castulo Zane


Houses and buildings used by marijuana growers are referred to as grow ops. If the grow op isn in a house it's called a grow house. Police estimate that there are more than 50,000 grow ops across Canada.

The number keeps growing. Every community in the country is exposed to the risks from marijuana grow ops. They operate in every city, town and rural area across Canada. They are in big cities and little towns.

Grow houses are often located in residential areas, but the can also be found in commercial and agricultural locales. Sometimes they are clustered together, sometimes even on the same street.

With time the growers gain more knowledge and experience. To avoid getting caught they take great pains to make the house look lived in. Often crop sitters will live in the house, giving it a semblance of normalcy.

Rented properties were the preferred vehicle for many years, but a combination of money laundering and profitability has led to some properties being purchased specifically for growing marijuana. Sometimes the structures are built specially for growing, with features to combat mold, odor and humidity.

Grow operations range widely in size. They can be a couple of plants in a closet, to ten in a basement room, to 10,000 in a warehouse. In January 2004 Barrie police discovered the largest grow op to date in an old Molson's brewery. They discovered and destroyed more than 25,000 plants worth millions. This size of grow op is not typical, however.

Some parts of the country have more experience with grow ops than others. BC, Quebec and Ontario lead the way. Each are is different. In BC there is more indoor growing, while in Quebec there is more outdoor growing.

Growing marijuana is popular because it is profitable. Growers are enticed by low risk and lenient sentences. Marijuana cultivation is becoming a major business.

According to law enforcement the small growers are being replaced by bigger, organized criminal enterprises. good returns and low risks make this an attractive activity. Growing demand and acceptance coupled with light penalties means grow ops will be with us for years to come.




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