Mounties say a large marijuana grow operation uncovered in a Vancouver building Monday may indicate an unusual trend in grow-ops: Smaller plants.
About 1,000 plants were found inside a home in the 100-block of West 6th Avenue, close to the Vancouver Police Department.
Const. Rusty Fostvelt says the size of the plants are much smaller than a typical grow-op.
"That's ten to 12 inches," he said, holding a plant. "Typically, they're 36 inches."
The shorter plants mean pot farmers have found a way to grow in tiny spaces, he says. And smaller plants mean a shorter growing time, meaning they can also make money quicker.
"You get a profit faster, yeah," he said.
Fostvelt has worked with Grow Busters for five years and says some dealers are quite cunning.
"It is a self-sufficient industry," he said. "And lots and lots of money is involved here."
Fostvelt says they're seeing more examples of increasingly professional workmanship in grow-operations.
In the Vancouver grow-op, instead of duct tape holding things together, professional work can be seen down to the electrical system.
"This guy's obviously a licensed technician and he's a journeyman and he's done his time, done his apprentiship, maybe they do it on the side. Maybe that's all they do."
In 2005, a sophisticated underground smuggling tunnel was uncovered near the U.S. border. Ambitious and sophisticated, the facility had the capacity to smuggle a substantial amount of product.
Last week in Chilliwack, officers found more than 11,000 plants growing underground. The facility had its own elevator, high tech security, and booby traps with bear spray.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander
