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Police warn hikers about boobytrapped grow-ops
By Hempology | May 6, 2002
Explosives found in regional, provincial parks, officials say
From the TIMES COLONIST, Monday, May 6th, 2002
By LOUISE DICKSON Times Colonist Staff
Marijuana growers are protecting their crops by setting boobytraps in
public parks and Saanich police are warning hikers to be on their guard.
At a press conference recently, deputy police chief Mike Chadwick held up
a camouflaged mousetrap which had been altered to fire off a shotgun shell.
Chadwick said police have found the altered devices on public property and in
provincial and regional parks.
“There is a potential for injury here. This one allegedly was made to scare deer away
from an outdoor grow-up. But in reality these things can also be altered to harm somebody
if they want to protect the grow-op from somebody harvesting it before the growers do.”
Someone had altered the mousetrap by hammering a nail into it, then attaching a piece of metal
pipe with a hole drilled in it. A 22-calibre explosive charge was inserted into the hold to
set off flash powder or gun powder in the pipe which would make a loud noise to scare away deer.
“But it could also be studded with nails or pellets if they want to have it explode outwards
and form what they refer to as a mantrap,” said Chadwick.
“This one was set up with tripwires which triggers the device to snap forward into the hole and
detonate the powder.”
A 54-year-old Saanich man is being investigated for possession of the trap, said Chadwick.
Last year, Saanich police found five or six altered traps. Some of them had shotgun shells
attached to them. Some had shrapnel attached to them. Luckily no one has been injured.
Anyone who sees a trap should notify police so it can be removed safely, said Chadwick.
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