Grow-op takes over vacant West Van home unbeknownst to owner
home grown - West Van police say rental property owners should inspect their properties at least every four or five weeks.
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Updated: October 28, 2009 12:10 PM
West Van police say they dismantled a grow-op last night, one that was squatting – unbeknownst to the owners – in a vacant British Properties home.
Const. Jeff Palmer said the owner, who hadn't been to the Glenross Road home in a few months, called police Sunday (Oct. 25) evening when he visited the house to find the locks were changed and the windows lined with condensation.
Police found a marijuana grow operation inside and spent the night dismantling electrical systems and carting out several hundred marijuana plants.
Palmer said police haven't yet estimated the street value of the crop inside the house. He added that landlords should choose their tenants carefully and not accept cash up front for rent payments.
"One of the things we've warned landlords about – make sure you can properly identify the person who's renting," said Palmer. Drug growers often "pay cash, up front, misidentify . . . leaving a pretty cold paper trail."
The police also warned against tenants who try to delay inspections or transfer their tenancy to a third party "without due process." They said landlords should regularly inspect their properties inside and out at least every four or five weeks as the grow-op cycle takes three months to complete.
The last big growp-op bust on the North Shore took place on Mount Seymour this August. Mounties found 300 marijuana plants, a kilometer-long gravity-fed gravity hose and electronic timers.
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