[420 Girl]

The provincial electricity provider is powering up a program to eliminate grow ops. BC Hydro is partnering with Crime Stoppers in establishing a tip line to report people who may be stealing electricity, a common activity of people with indoor marijuana plantations.

Hydro's energy diversion investigators can now receive addresses of suspected grow-ops reported to the Crime Stoppers tip line. Where evidence of theft is found, BC Hydro lays complaints with law enforcement agencies, which in turn obtain search warrants and recommend charging suspects.

"We believe that the partnership will increase identification of electricity theft and ultimately assist police in shutting down grow-ops in B.C.," said Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General John Les. "Our government is working to put a stop to marijuana grow-ops by improving links between BC Hydro, local governments, and safety and law enforcement agencies."


How to spot a grow operation

- Discarded equipment: Sometimes growers leave equipment lying around the yard such as nutrient containers, pots, wiring, soil, root balls, aluminum shrouds and PVC piping.

- Unusual visitor behaviour: Inconsistencies in visitors to and from the residence, ranging from no visitors giving the appearance of seclusion, to frequent visitors for short time periods. Visitors will often leave one person waiting in the car while the other enters the premises.

- Covered windows: Covered with black plastic, heavy curtains pressed against the windows or blinds that are tightly shut and pressed against the windows.

- Condensation: Humidity inside a grow room is approximately 65 per cent with temperatures ranging between 80 to 90 F. These conditions manifest themselves through condensation on windows.

- Smells and odours: Skunk-like odour mixed with a sweet vegetative smell or the unique smell of rotting cabbage. Also, the odor of moth balls, chlorine, manure, soap and/or air freshener is frequently utilized in trying to mask the smell of the operation.

- Electrical humming, fans, trickling water: Some electrical components in an indoor operation create humming sounds similar to a transformer on a hydro pole.

- Bright lights: High intensity 1,000 watt lamps are normally used and sometimes not completely disguised. These lights are the same as used in outdoor public swimming pools and baseball parks.

- Localized power surges/browning: Neighbourhood residences experience unexplained power surges or power "browning" ( decrease of power which dims lights and slows down appliance use ) with the return of normal power flow approximately 12 hours later.

- "Beware of Dog" or "Guard Dog on Duty" signs: Used to deter trespassing, protect against theft and detection by police.

- History of premises: Residence and/or commercial premises have been used as marijuana grow operations in the past. Many of these rental properties are known among the criminal element as having been used for growing marijuana then repeatedly used again.

- Other indicators used as props to deflect any attention by neighbors and police: Outdoor and/or indoor lights, radio and/or TV on for 24 hours, flyers left in mailbox or on the front steps, children's toys and bikes outside without children living or seen at the residence; realty signs posted on front lawn.

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