Eleven Arrested, Nine Sought In Huge GTA-Wide Pot Bust
Posted January 26, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
They ran their drug empire like a business. In fact, they ran some of it from a business.
And according to police it was more like a fast food outlet than a major marijuana distribution ring.
That’s what Toronto Police allege 20 suspects were up to, after they dismantled a huge pot network that involved almost 40 homes in the G.T.A.
Cops believe the owners and employees of Can Tech Inc., which is located on Finch Avenue East, and Can Tech Distribution on McAdam Drive in Mississauga were involved in the massive operation.
Police contend the people at the companies were not only selling all the hydroponics equipment needed to keep the plants growing, but helping to make sure it got out to dealers and customers. They’re also accused of laundering the money made from the profits.
The big bust answers a lot of questions for people who work near the businesses.
“I was wondering what was going on there,” muses Brian Petry. “They were always moving bags of dirt, garbage bags full of dirt.”
Cops from the local force and the R.C.M.P., along with reps from Peel and York Police, all banded together for the raids, which resulted in eleven arrests. Nine others are still being sought and warrants have been issued for them.
Authorities have been working on “Project O’Clone” for a while. The seeds of this marijuana bust first sprouted in early 2006, and took almost a year to conclude.
“We’ve seized marijuana plants at a value of over $25 million, as well as 25 pounds of marijuana on that day,” advises Staff Inspector Don Campbell. Computer equipment and a large amount of American and Canadian currency were also found in the huge haul.
Most of those charged are facing trafficking and possession accusations, while a few are also looking at money laundering and even theft of electricity allegations.
“All I ever saw was big bags coming in and out,” a neighbour named Paul relates. “I thought they were just hydroponics, you know, not for illegal grow-ops.”
But cops say he thought wrong.
The number of addresses raided reads like a real estate shopping guide and spans the entire city, a fact police say shows how widespread the problem of marijuana grow-ops really is in the GTA.
The long list also includes the number of plants investigators allege they recovered at each location:
Albacore Crescent, 537 plants,
Ashridge Drive, 463 plants,
Bethany Leigh Drive, 297 plants,
Bourbon Street, 378 plants,
Bridley Drive, 281 plants,
Darlingside Drive, 202 plants,
Doerr Road, 200 plants,
Dufferin Street, 1,117 plants,
Dynamic Drive, 1,731 plants,
Dynamic Drive, 1,538 plants,
Fergus Avenue, 496 plants,
Fieldside Drive, 339 plants,
Finch Avenue East, 839 plants,
Gennela Square, 264 plants,
Gilroy Drive, 644 plants,
Groveland Crescent, 337 plants,
Hookwood Drive, 126 plants,
Jacob Fisher Drive, 478 plants,
Kennedy Road, 271 plants,
Longsord Drive, 193 plants,
Milner Avenue East, 2,669 plants,
Mornelle Court, 42 plants,
Newdawn Crescent, 510 plants,
Oak Knolls Crescent, 331 plants,
Olivewood Drive, 303 plants,
Placentia Drive, 424 plants,
Relroy Court, 1,007 plants,
Romulus Drive, 398 plants,
Rosebank Drive, 198 plants,
Salem Avenue, 352 plants,
Shepmore Terrace, 218 plants,
Starspray Boulevard, 150 plants,
Tambrook Drive, 682 plants,
Tapscott Road, 1,202 plants,
Tapscott Road, 1,598 plants,
Thornmount Drive, 1,014 plants,
Traders Boulevard, 914 plants,
Wandering Trail, 148 plants,
Wandering Trail, 1,871 plants.
Cops hope to have the remaining nine suspects still at large in custody soon.
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