Pubdate: Thu, 01 Apr 2004
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)

Copyright: 2004 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Authors: Don Campbell, Kelly Roesler, Isabel Teotonio, The Ottawa Citizen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

NERVE CENTRE - A GARMENT FACTORY IN LITTLE ITALY

The headquarters was an inconspicuous shop, located in a rundown, concrete 
block warehouse in the heart of Ottawa's Little Italy.

Few people would have suspected that behind the sewing machines, Vivi 
Fashion was really a front for one of the largest international marijuana 
distribution and money-laundering criminal networks to operate out of 
Ottawa -- a network with ties to Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Police say Ottawa was the "heart" of the network. The mastermind behind it 
was a 38-year-old Vietnamese woman, Mai Le, who's known on Preston Street 
as "The Queen."

The operation was so large, that several police agencies in both Canada and 
the United States worked more than two years to finally deliver the 
knockout punch early yesterday in a series of raids on houses and 
businesses throughout Ottawa.

The raids coincided with others carried out in Toronto, Montreal and 12 
states in the U.S., including New York and California. Its key players 
never had the chance to tip each other off.

One American Drug Enforcement Administration officer described it as a 
"full-blown criminal machine."

Police relished the news that not only had they taken out street-level 
criminals, but "the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive 
Officer" of the criminal network. They accused Ms. Le of laundering more 
than $5 million U.S. each month through a series of networks reaching into 
Asia.

More than 400 police officers executed 32 search warrants in the Ottawa 
area, nabbing Ms. Le as she slept in her home on Prince of Wales Drive. 
They then moved on to scoop up eight more of the organization's key 
figures, all of whom are relatives.

By morning's end, 20 others had been arrested and charged with a variety of 
offences related to drug trafficking, money laundering and proceeds of crime.

Police say it all started at the clothes manufacturing shop on Pamilla 
Street, just west of Rochester, a location the organization vacated late 
last year to move to Wellington Street.

"It was a very small operation, but a legitimate sewing and clothes 
manufacturing plant," said RCMP Staff Sgt. Jacques Lemieux, the project 
manager for the Ottawa part of the operation, dubbed Project Codi. "But it 
gave the group a legitimacy as to why they had the houses and why they 
drove the cars they did."

The search warrants covered homes, businesses and bank accounts, and shut 
down eight marijuana grow operations. Police seized $1.1 million in cash, 
more than 1,100 marijuana plants, $100,000 in growing equipment, two sports 
cars, and a number of computers.

Police said searches would continue, and that those figures were likely to 
grow.

Ottawa police first became aware of a possible drug network in 2001. That's 
when they realized that a number of marijuana grow operations they were 
breaking up had connections to one particular group -- Ms. Le's clan.

Rather than bust it immediately, they devised a plan to follow the money.

"When we first opened the door, we stepped back and said, 'Oh my God, what 
have we opened up?'," said Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault, who until recently was 
head of the Ottawa drug unit. "In one sense, we were not so surprised at 
the organization, but it was even more than what we thought."

Within a year, Ottawa police had rallied the RCMP and Ontario Provincial 
Police to join in. Then, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Canada-U.S. 
border security agencies joined in. By June 2003, the investigation was 
going full bore, leading to the final decision to take it down.

The investigators, numbered at more than 30, were all seasoned veterans and 
were backed by about 30 support people. One police official described them 
as "an elite or super team."

While the U.S. centres might be more easily linked to organized crime, 
Ottawa was the network's hub.

The nation's capital was the "heart" of this global operation, said RCMP 
assistant commissioner Ghyslaine Clement. "Through real and fictitious 
agencies, it was able to launder money to fund other agencies.

"The most significant aspect of this is that in one wave, we were able to 
shoot down not just one network, but several networks in the U.S."

Now comes the forensic stage of the investigation, where police experts 
will examine business and bank accounts to link to the network.

"This is not so much about marijuana grows as it is about organized crime 
and money laundering," said Ottawa police Chief Vince Bevan.

"We can spend all our time going house-to-house-to-house. But we found it 
better to spend our time tracking the money, than coming back and busting 
the organization.

"We saw early an opportunity to connect to other criminal organizations in 
the U.S. All the intelligence we gathered got us ready.

"And these kinds of operations breed all sorts of things in the community. 
Often, violence is not far behind. There is no doubt, grow operations will 
continue to exist. Our target will continue to be large-scale operations."

In total, 35 people were charged in Ottawa, and 24 appeared in court by the 
end of the day after a special court was opened to accommodate the 
additional appearances. Three were released on cash bail ranging from 
$5,000 to $25,000. The rest were put over for bail hearings or dates to set 
bail hearings.

Seven more still had yet to appear and nine arrest warrants were 
outstanding. Another nine people were charged and released from the police 
station on a promise to appear.

Police say much of the money laundering was taking place at MDM money 
exchange on Laurier Street. It was crude and simplistic. The launderers 
would simply bring Canadian cash, change to other currencies, then cash in 
the new currencies elsewhere.

Defence lawyer Mark Ertel represents three of the accused. He wouldn't 
comment on the charges against them, but questioned whether the raids were 
good use of police resources with the possibility of marijuana being 
decriminalized in the near future.

"The police seem to be investing a lot of resources into investigating 
marijuana grow operations," he said. "It strikes me that there are more 
pressing policing and public safety issues, but I guess it's all a question 
of priorities."

Rob Sellar, Ms. Le's lawyer, would not comment on the charges, saying he 
hadn't reviewed the information supporting the charges against her.

In each raid yesterday, the scenario played out much the same with many 
neighbours of those accused awakening to the sight of officers, some in 
full riot gear, busting into seemingly peaceful homes.

"I woke up to the battering ram around 7 a.m." said Cara Thompson, who 
lives on Pinetrail Crescent. "They rammed the door about 10 times."

Around the corner, stunned neighbours gathered outside the home on 
Wildbriar Way.

"About a year ago, there was a rumour going on that the house was under 
police surveillance," said Keith Fulton, whose property is adjacent to the 
home.

Many neighbours said they had spotted suspicious looking cars parked 
throughout the neighbourhood for an entire month last year.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, an RCMP tactical unit swarmed 2694 Iris St. 
and took two handcuffed men in to custody but released two women.

Officers combed through the house and carefully inspected five vehicles 
parked in the driveway with the help of two police dogs.

As they conducted the raid, they removed the telltale signs of a marijuana 
grow house.

One neighbour, who was shocked to see several cruisers outside the house 
remarked, "I thought to myself, 'Are they making a movie?' "
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