Revelstoke marijuana ‘fire’ put out by cops

Where there’s smoke, there’s not necessarily fire.

Revelstoke RCMP.

What started out as a reported structure fire turned into a major drug seizure for Revelstoke Mounties. Last night at 7:45 p.m. a passer-by saw what they thought was smoke coming from the roof of the house. Fire Rescue was called but what they found was not a fire at all but rather several hundred marihuana plants. Police were well aware of the residence and had an active investigation ongoing.

Police attended the scene which was in the 1300 block of Nichol Road and after applying for a warrant, searched the residence. The entire basement of the house was dedicated to the production operation and contained over 850 marihuana plants in various stages of growth. A hydro by-pass was also located in the residence which enabled the suspect(s) to steal some of the power required to run the grow.

This is one of the bigger operations that has been located in Revelstoke in some time and while it is too early to determine if it is linked to organized crime, it is definitely influenced by the lower mainland.

To put the seizure into perspective the amount of plants seized could potentially produce about 371, 000 joints (marihuana cigarettes), enough to supply each Revelstokian with over 40 joints, children included.

A 47 year old male from the People’s Republic of China is currently in custody pending the outcome of the investigation. The suspect could be facing charges of Production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking and theft of hydro.

Police along with City and BC Hydro officials are continuing the investigation.

If you have information on this, or any other crime, contact your local RCMP Detachment at (250)837-5255 or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or leave your information anonymously online at http://www.bccrimestoppers.com. You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest, or a conviction or the recovery of stolen property or the seizure of illicit drugs, you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Revelstoke
January 7, 2010
RCMP file # 2010-078