Dozens Tended Massive Pot Crop

The Toronto Star ^ | 1/12/04 | Curtis Rush

[Modernman]

Nine men have been charged and police have seized more than 30,000 marijuana plants worth about $30 million in two massive grow operations in Barrie. Officers from the OPP drug enforcement section and the Barrie Police Service executed a search warrant early Saturday at a former Molson brewery site at One Big Bay Point Rd.

The site, located beside the busy lanes of Highway 400, was passed daily by hundreds of thousands of drivers.

A second search warrant was executed at 4921 Hwy 11 North, Oro-Medonte Township just north of Barrie. There officers seized approximately 3,000 more marijuana plants.

Both locations, which police believe are linked, were being run as factories that operated on a 24-hour-a-day basis.

Police continue to investigate a number of tenants who controlled both locations, but they do suspect the illegal enterprises were likely run by organized crime or gangs.

Inside the Barrie brewery, officers found areas that had been set aside for living accommodations for up to 50 individuals who would look after the marijuana plants and included common areas, beds, televisions, fridges and stoves similar to a dormitory-type facility, police say.

"We were in there for two days securing the location. It's about 60,000 square feet," said Bill Crate, superintendent of the OPP.

"There's living quarters in there. Everything from seed to packaged plants for distribution. I suspect we'll be in there for weeks gathering evidence and we'll be in there weeks more dismantling it. There is over a million dollars worth of equipment in there. There's miles and miles and miles of electrical wire and water hoses. It's quite incredible."

The investigation showed that more than a thousand hydroponics lights were being used to provide artificial light for the plants. This operation would be capable of producing up to three or four crops per year, generating hundreds of millions of dollars, police said.

"The Big Bay Point location is the largest and most sophisticated grow operation in Canada," said Deputy Commissioner Vaughn Collins of the OPP Investigation and Organized Crime Command. "Commercial marijuana factories have reached epidemic proportions in Ontario. They are in every community and most are controlled by organized crime."

The stunning bust has area residents asking how such a large drug operation could operate only metres away from a highway that millions of commuters use each year.

"There is a gatehouse, so there is controlled access and there are no windows," said Crate. "It was well vented so the smell wasn't there and they went to great lengths to make sure people wouldn't stumble upon it."

Chief Wayne Frechette of the Barrie police said he was "pleased that we were able to shut down and dismantle what was the largest indoor marijuana growing operation within Canada."

Charged are Michael DiCicco, 60, of Toronto, Robert Bleich, 29, of Stayner, Scott Walker, 34, of St. Catharines, Zoran Stojanovic, 49, of St. Catharines, Tomas Gates, 33, of Corunna, Ont., Craig Walker, 24, of Niagara Falls, Ont., Scott Dillon, 23, of Toronto, Rayne Sauve, 36, of St. Catharines and Edward MacAdam, 43, of Niagara Falls, Ont.

Police would not say if their raid was the result of a tip.

All charged persons are being held for a bail hearing in Barrie court scheduled for Tuesday.

Police said they anticipate laying more charges against other individuals in the cases.

[Modernman]

In a Molson plant, no less. Have they no respect for holy ground?

[Joe Hadenuf]

No big deal. That much comes in from Mexico every several hours.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Gimme a Molson's.

[Modernman]

No big deal. That much comes in from Mexico every several hours.

Yeah, but this is the good stuff- Canadians have perfected the art of growing pot.

[Bedford Forrest]

60,000 feet sounds huge but it really isn't if you consider all of the abandoned industrial real estate just sitting along the rr tracks between Wilmington & Newark NJ, for example. One unanswered question re the Canada bust is how the perps managed to disguise their electricity consumption, which had to be humungous. As noted, there are acres and acres of abandoned factories in our rustbelts and NE corridor - but how do you bring in the power without attracting attention?

[Indie]

Won't affect my supply. I grow my own. I'm on a crusade against drug dealers.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I'm told their technique was developed at Iowa State.

[ikka]

but how do you bring in the power without attracting attention?

In this case the power circuits were already in place - brewing takes a lot of electricity, I would think. Also, when you pull in 480V and step the voltage down yourself with your own transformers (also would have been in place already), you pay based on peak usage, so their bill might not have been very high since they would have quite steady usage.

[gdc61]

The "Special Hops" division of Molsen I suspect;)

[Cultural Jihad]

... police have seized more than 30,000 marijuana plants worth about $30 million in two massive grow operations in Barrie. ... Everything from seed to packaged plants for distribution.

Clearly medical marijuana for one person's private use. Isn't a 'buds bath' one of the new therapies?

[Land of the Free 04]

"Commercial marijuana factories have reached epidemic proportions in Ontario. They are in every community and most are controlled by organized crime."

Just as alcohol production was controlled by organized crime during Prohibition. Hmmmmm ....

[Aquavivasativa]

That Canadian bud makes it a long way to florida, I hear from B.C. I think the bust was a diversion. cuz i heard that canadian government grows their own medical. news to make the u.s. convinced suppose. Marijuana is not a problem and it is against natures laws to ban any plants. Who started prohibition anyway?

[philman_36]

Who started prohibition anyway?
Bigots, busybodies and self righteous moral crusaders.

[squidly]

I'm now confused over Canada's official stance on pot. A French-Canadian coworker tells me that you can buy it at convenience stores in Toronto, and then I read an article like this one.

[Wolfie]

Meanwhile, the Drug War presides over the first acts of nationalizing local police forces in the U.S.

[FreedomPoster]

I'm sure that's true, but doubt it's an official product.

[FreedomPoster]

>>Also, when you pull in 480V and step the voltage down yourself with your own transformers

Actually, serious discharge lighting of the type I would imagine they were using is often served at 277V/1 phase from a commercial 480Y/277V 3-phase service. No step-down transformer required. Fluorescent lights in large commercial offices and large metal halide warehouse store lights are almost universally served at 277V/1 ph.

In commercial buildings, the only reason you have stepdown 480V/3ph => 208Y/120V/3ph transformers is to serve receptacle loads and a very few other miscellaneous loads.