The Grow Op

We lived in the Northwest suburbs of Calgary for six years, and for some of that time we lived in Arbour Lake, a lovely suburban community. We lived in a new house in a new neighbourhood. The last thing we expected was a grow op in the neighbourhood, but we found it in our backyard within a few weeks of moving there.


How did we know? The answer was simple if you paid attention.

*There was no real activity, except the two young men who lived there mowed the lawn every now and then. But, other than that activity, nothing.

*The window shades were down and there was never any light emitted from the house.

*There was no trash.

*A truck came by usually very late at night and parked in the garage. After an hour or so they left full of big black garbage bags.

*They stood out like a sore thumb from all the inactivity in a suburban neighbourhood.

Several neighbours had called the police, we knew, but nothing seemed to ever happen in relation to those calls. The callers were told that they would look into it but no one ever knew if anyone was paying attention.

One evening, around dusk, my wife and daughters went out to visit the neighbour behind us when they were approached by a man who was dressed as Batman they thought. He turned out to be a swat team member, all dressed up with guns and armor, and told them to go back into the house for the time being. They did not argue. This was a memorable moment!

Within a few minutes, the door was broken in and the team swarmed through the house and no one was home. Trucks appeared and pot was taken out in bags along with lots of other stuff, and then the police ordered pizza.

After a day or two the activity stopped, and all was quiet. After a few weeks the guys returned, for their stuff I guess, and the police were waiting. They were carried away; the house was sold to an employee of the original builder. He repaired the house and stayed a year and sold it to another guy.

I was told the original builder sold it to the guy (drug boss) who made the deal giving him $40,000 in cash and paying off the rest over time, which he didn’t. They never paid a penny beyond the original money but stayed for several years and the greedy builder was either too greedy or too chicken to move them out.

And so it goes….