Pre-Dawn Raids In Entertainment District Net Drugs, Guns

They represent the worst possible elements of Toronto ‘s popular Entertainment District, and side-by-side they make an even more frightening impression. 

But there they were, together again, laid out in plain sight at a police press conference — a match made in hell — the ominous, but predictable union of guns and drugs.  

Police seized their share of both after a series of ambitious early morning raids that targeted Club 338 near Adelaide and Peter Sts, and two nearby apartments.  

ETF officers stormed the establishment first, at around 4am, arresting and charging 26 people, including some members of the club’s staff, with various drugs and weapons charges.

Inside police allege drug use, and the exchange of drugs for money, was common and that no attempts to veil the illicit behaviour were made by those involved. 

” There’s several areas within the club where drugs were available,” alleged Supt. Hugh Ferguson.   “People could go there. It was known. It wasn’t hidden, and it was just done right on the tables and they would snort it right off their hands.”

“We have seized a substantial quantity of ecstasy, G.H.B., cocaine, ketamine, marijuana and crystal meth.”

But it wasn’t just the amount, or variety, of drugs seized that had police concerned.  They were also worried about club goers taking drugs that were laced with other dangerous substances without their knowledge.

“The ecstasy tablets were laced with crystal meth or in fact all crystal meth, making them much more addictive. This is truly an evil sales tactic,” Ferguson adds.

Police allege the illegal drug activity was controlled by Asian organized crime groups who weren’t adverse to giving away free samples to try to expand their client base.

In conjunction with the raid on the club, police also obtained search warrants for two nearby apartments, where they allegedly seized more drugs, a shotgun, and a .357 Magnum.

The woman who owns one of the raided apartments expressed her shock at what transpired early Monday.  She also claims the accused tenant once helped her evict a previous renter, who she claims was selling drugs.

“I had a drug dealer living here, but they helped me to get rid of him…so I’m now shocked that the person that helped me to get rid of a drug dealer…is accused of the same thing. And now I can’t believe it.”

The manager at Club 338, who declined to speak on camera, said he wasn’t surprised to hear that his establishment was raided.

“They’re hitting all the after-hours (bars), and we knew it was going to get raided. Everybody knows it’s going to get raided,” he said.

While he hasn’t been charged, police say club management was ‘willfully blind’ to what was going on inside.

City councillor Adam Vaughan says raids like Monday’s are a sign of things to come.

“This is the first of many raids you’re going to see. We’re getting tough on the clubs,” he asserted. “They cause too many problems.”

The bust follows another serious operation involving police in the neighbourhood early Sunday. Only blocks away, at Richmond and Duncan, three men and five women were taken individually from a stretch SUV limo after gunshots were heard at about 3am.

Though there were no injuries a gun was found in the limo. All eight people inside were charged with unauthorized presence of a firearm, and a 24-year-old Mississauga man was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon.