While it's not too surprising, the fact that the Sunshine Coast is becoming a haven for organized crime groups to set up shop for their drug operations is certainly unsettling.
Sunshine Coast RCMP updated the Sunshine Coast Regional District policing committee Monday with the troubling statistics that police have noticed a significant rise in marijuana grow operations set up by Lower Mainland criminals.
Lower Mainland law enforcement members have stepped up their gang and drug enforcement over the years, and although many cases have been solved and many more arrests have been made, the criminal element involved in the illegal drug trade continues to plague our streets.
So, as the Lower Mainland starts to become a no-go zone for crime groups, what better place to set up shop than the Sunshine Coast?
And more evidence of the growing trend of illegal drugs and the violence associated with them raised its ugly head on Monday night.
Criminals invaded a home in Roberts Creek looking for a grow op and violently targeted a family. The home did not have a grow op and, even worse, those responsible for this heinous and despicable crime indicated to the terrorized family that they were the police, which they weren't. This isn't the first time an incident such as this has happened. Monday's case is now the fourth incident in the past six months and the third one where criminals have pretended to be police officers.
We can't imagine what this young family went through Monday night and will go through in the days to come as they recover from the shock they endured. This case just highlights the risks that are associated to both legal and illegal marijuana grow operations on the Sunshine Coast. The criminals who target these grow shows are clearly becoming more aggressive and brazen in their attempts to get their hands on the drugs. And the use of firearms and violence is clearly escalating.
So, what do we do as a community? For starters, we continue to support the RCMP in their efforts by providing information about suspected drug operations and, in the case of our municipal politicians, if better bylaw enforcement is needed, then pass those bylaws. If lobbying for more funding and resources is needed, then start writing those letters.
The only way to take back our communities from the criminals is to fight back and use whatever tools we can.
