On April 6, 2011, the Prince Rupert RCMP responded to a report of fraud complaint. This fraud was in the form of a phone call, and the call came to an elderly woman. The caller claimed to be her granddaughter, stating that she was in jail in Jamaica and needed money to get out. Another telephone scam was reported regarding Airmile points, where the caller requests your credit card number in order to give you free Airmiles on your account. In any case where you are unsure, or something seems too good to be true....it probably is. There is a specific company that tracks and deals with frauds over the telephone, Phone Busters. It is requested that you report any frauds to Phone Busters at 1-888-495-8501 and your local RCMP Detachment.
On Thursday evening, April 7, 2011, police officers of the North District Drug Section assisted by police officers of the Prince Rupert Detachment executed a search warrant under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in the 1600 block of Jamaica Ave. Seized during the search were approximately 300 marihuana plants in various stages of growth and growing equipment. Also, located at the residence was a hydro diversion / bypass to facilitate the theft of hydro. Two subjects were taken into custody and later released. The investigation continues and police will be proposing charges of production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking and theft of telecommunications.
In the early hours of Friday, April 8, 2011, again police officers of the North District Drug Section and the Prince Rupert Detachment executed a second Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant in the 1600 block of Jamaica Ave. Seized during this investigation were 34 immature marihuana plants. The residence had been modified to facilitate a large, marihuana grow operation however the operation was not active at the time. This investigation is ongoing.
Grow operations are very dangerous and in particular those involving electrical bypasses because of the large amount of electricity and heat required to grow marihuana and run numerous pieces of electrical equipment. The fire hazard is the main concern, as you can appreciate most of these electrical bypasses are not professionally done, leaving room for error, risk of fire and electrocution. These bypasses are done at various locations within and around the house. Some are done outside in the front yard where the wiring comes into the home, some are done at the roof line before the power enters the home and some are virtually undetectable and done from inside. If you see suspicious activity in your neighbourhood that may relate to a grow operation, for example: if you notice large bags of soil or fertilizer being brought into the home, a large amount of planter pots, window coverings, humming noises, a skunky odour, little or lots of foot traffic or people arriving at the same time every day. These are all signs to be noted by you and relayed back to the police or there are ways to be anonymous in reporting the information, by calling Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS.
Dig back in your memory bank if you live near or were travelling though Frederick Street and 11th Avenue East on March 12, 2011, around 8:00 pm. A man was struck by a vehicle while walking his dog. The collision caused the man to ride up onto the windshield of the vehicle, then fall and strike his head on the pavement. The male driver stopped, rolled down the window then took off. Minimal information was gathered from the victim, regarding his incident. Police are looking for your help in locating the driver of the vehicle. If you or someone you know has knowledge about this incident please call the RCMP at 250-627-0700.