Binky
07-16-2006, 08:17 PM
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Highrise housed a $1M grow-op
7 suites filled with plants
By MICHELE HENRY
TORONTO SUN
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/07/16/torsunWeed200.jpg
The odour of marijuana permeated hallways at a roach-infested Parkdale apartment building yesterday after police busted a $1-million grow operation that spanned several floors.
Tenants of the derelict highrise at 75 Spencer St., near King and Dufferin Sts., who are mainly recent immigrants and do not speak fluent English, said they were not surprised by the discovery, which yielded 1,000 marijuana plants grown in seven separate rental units.
The residents felt the heat of the hydroponic lamps and smelled the weed.
"Everybody knows (about) that," said a petite Asian woman, who would not give her name. "The smell is very strong."
Toronto police broke down doors on four floors of the building Friday night and seized all manner of growing apparatus, including the plants, which were at various stages of growth.
Yesterday, doors to the seven apartments remained ajar. Garbage bags filled with soil were stacked in the corner of unit 805 -- a tray of seedlings sat atop them.
INDOOR GREENHOUSE
Low hanging cone-shaped lamps suspended from the ceiling by chain covered every inch of floor and large aluminum ducts lay broken beside dirty photo paper, rubber gloves, tangled wires and bottles of chemical fertilizer.
A man who lives down the hall from suite 805 said the people who rented the apartment only visited between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. nightly and dropped soil along the hallway to and from countless trips up and down the lift.
"The elevator is busy and makes a lot of noise," the man said, noting he has been awakened by the late night activity since February, when the new tenants moved in. He said they had no furniture. "I try to peek but I can't see them."
Officers said as they were executing search warrants Friday one of the grow-op suspects jumped off an eighth-floor balcony to try to escape. A man was later arrested and faces several drug charges.
While many tenants were close-mouthed about the incident yesterday, officers said the bust was a direct result of calls from concerned residents.
The Asian woman said most people in the building have harboured suspicions about the activity in the apartments for some time, but were afraid to go to authorities.
"They think if they do or say something, the landlords give them trouble," she said, adding that's why they tolerate the leaks, bugs and mould-riddled accommodations. "They're scared."
TENANTS 'NICE'
She said she has questioned the landlord and he said the tenants in the seven suites were "nice." The landlord was unavailable yesterday for comment.
Loi Truong, 45, of Toronto, faces several charges including four counts of producing marijuana and possession of the proceeds of crime.
Contact: editor@tor.sunpub.com
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/07/16/1687099-sun.html
Highrise housed a $1M grow-op
7 suites filled with plants
By MICHELE HENRY
TORONTO SUN
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/07/16/torsunWeed200.jpg
The odour of marijuana permeated hallways at a roach-infested Parkdale apartment building yesterday after police busted a $1-million grow operation that spanned several floors.
Tenants of the derelict highrise at 75 Spencer St., near King and Dufferin Sts., who are mainly recent immigrants and do not speak fluent English, said they were not surprised by the discovery, which yielded 1,000 marijuana plants grown in seven separate rental units.
The residents felt the heat of the hydroponic lamps and smelled the weed.
"Everybody knows (about) that," said a petite Asian woman, who would not give her name. "The smell is very strong."
Toronto police broke down doors on four floors of the building Friday night and seized all manner of growing apparatus, including the plants, which were at various stages of growth.
Yesterday, doors to the seven apartments remained ajar. Garbage bags filled with soil were stacked in the corner of unit 805 -- a tray of seedlings sat atop them.
INDOOR GREENHOUSE
Low hanging cone-shaped lamps suspended from the ceiling by chain covered every inch of floor and large aluminum ducts lay broken beside dirty photo paper, rubber gloves, tangled wires and bottles of chemical fertilizer.
A man who lives down the hall from suite 805 said the people who rented the apartment only visited between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. nightly and dropped soil along the hallway to and from countless trips up and down the lift.
"The elevator is busy and makes a lot of noise," the man said, noting he has been awakened by the late night activity since February, when the new tenants moved in. He said they had no furniture. "I try to peek but I can't see them."
Officers said as they were executing search warrants Friday one of the grow-op suspects jumped off an eighth-floor balcony to try to escape. A man was later arrested and faces several drug charges.
While many tenants were close-mouthed about the incident yesterday, officers said the bust was a direct result of calls from concerned residents.
The Asian woman said most people in the building have harboured suspicions about the activity in the apartments for some time, but were afraid to go to authorities.
"They think if they do or say something, the landlords give them trouble," she said, adding that's why they tolerate the leaks, bugs and mould-riddled accommodations. "They're scared."
TENANTS 'NICE'
She said she has questioned the landlord and he said the tenants in the seven suites were "nice." The landlord was unavailable yesterday for comment.
Loi Truong, 45, of Toronto, faces several charges including four counts of producing marijuana and possession of the proceeds of crime.
Contact: editor@tor.sunpub.com
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/07/16/1687099-sun.html