General News

By Holly Bridges

A CH-146 Griffon helicopter from 1 Wing's 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron at CFB Edmonton is helping the RCMP with its annual search for outdoor marijuana grow operations in British Columbia.

A team of police officers from the RCMP, Saanich Police Department and Victoria Police Department, with the assistance of the Canadian Air Force, began taking to the skies on August 22 over Vancouver Island as part of the eradication operation.

The goal of the annual project is to locate, and destroy marijuana grown outdoors, often on Crown Lands.

"The location of these outdoor marijuana grow operations poses unique challenges for our members," says Constable Darren Lagan of the RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service, a spokesperson for the operation.

"The Air Force helicopter is assisting us greatly in terms of transportation because the Air Force has the equipment and the expertise to get us in and out of these remote sites. There's not a chance we would be able to get into some of these locations without the support of the Air Force because a lot of these operations are on mountainsides, in very rough terrain and in very remote locations."

To give you an idea of just how remote these areas are, says Const Lagan, RCMP members must hack their way through dense underbrush using machetes, with almost no visibility and no visual contact with their colleagues.

"These guys are doing some serious bush-whacking and that's even after getting in with the military support so we're in very rough terrain, doing very labour-intensive work."

Const Lagan says flying into these operations at this time of year is particularly important because the plants are almost ready to be harvested and are easier to spot from the air.

"The plants are a very distinctive green that stands out from the natural vegetation. I've been up a few times and once you know what you're looking for, all of a sudden you start to see more and more and more."

Const Lagan says the production of marijuana is directly tied to, and funds, organized crime groups, through its street level sale in our communities.

"This is not a couple of guys who head out into the bush to grow a few plants for themselves. It's not like that at all. This is big business and the majority of funds, we believe, are going back to organized crime ... and organized crime in our community means violence, guns, drugs, and more drug-related crimes. So we see this operation as attacking the source and cutting it down literally before it gets to the streets."

According to the RCMP, outdoor marijuana production, as seen by members in the past, poses a significant environmental risk as well because streams are diverted, growth enhancing chemicals and pesticides are introduced to pristine lands, and garbage is strewn around post-production sites.

"The impact of this illegal activity has on our communities goes beyond its resulting supply of street level drugs, to include environmental damage and destruction", says Const Lagan.

There is no indication how long the operation will last, however, the goal is to eradicate at least 10,000 plants. That's how many were cut down last year and Const Lagan expects the number to equal or exceed last year's success.

To learn more about the harmful effects of marijuana, visit the Health Canada website www.drugwise.gc.ca or the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse www.ccsa.ca