9.3.11

Marijuana 'inextricably tied' to violence, says Mounties

By Sam Cooper, The Province March 8, 2011
A man is found in a vehicle bound hand and foot with a bag over his head. His brain is bleeding and his left eye is crushed beyond repair.

The gory aftermath of a brutal grow rip should prove to B.C. marijuana aficionados that pot is a blood-soaked commodity rather than a harmless product, North Vancouver RCMP say.

Cpl. Peter DeVries made the point while announcing recommendations of four charges against two men in an alleged attack on a 67-year-old Surrey man.

The man was found in a vehicle by Vancouver police in Sept. 2009, with lacerations to his scalp and face, severe trauma to both of his eyes, multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung and bleeding in the brain.

“He’s very lucky he didn’t die,” DeVries said.

Police say the alleged assault happened in Norgate, a residential area of North Vancouver. An investigation showed the incident “surrounded a syndicate of marijuana grow operators, and that the assault was related to the drug trade,” DeVries said.

Crown counsel is reviewing charge recommendations, including aggravated assault and forcible confinement against 49-year-old Squamish resident Paul Defaveri, and forcible confinement and attempted murder against 40-year-old Robin Pryce from Surrey.

Both men have prior drug crime convictions. Neither have known gang affiliations, DeVries said.

DeVries said the alleged assault is a “stark example” that “because of its monetary value as a commodity, marijuana is inextricably tied to serious acts of violence.”

“When you smoke a joint there is a strong likelihood that aside from it being grown illegally, it is connected to crimes like assaults, frauds, thefts and burglaries,” DeVries said.

Defaveri and Pryce were arrested on March 4 and both have been remanded in custody until their next court appearance on March 15.

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Marijuana+inextricably+tied+violence+says+Mounties/4405157/story.html

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