Pubdate: Sat, 07 Oct 2006 Source: Windsor Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2006 The Windsor Star Contact: http://www.canada.com/windsor/windsorstar/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/501 Author: Don Lajoie, Windsor Star Note: MAP archives articles exactly as published, except that our editors may redact the names and addresses of accused persons who have not been convicted of a crime, if those named are not otherwise public figures or officials POT GROWER GETS 3 YEARS Trafficker Hit With Record Prison Term For Grow-Ops A convicted drug trafficker has been handed a three-year penitentiary term, the longest prison sentence handed down in an Essex County courtroom for operating a marijuana grow house. Sinh Kim Ho, 30, made no statement before sentencing and only looked straight ahead as his penalty was meted out by Superior Court justice Terry Patterson Friday on nine drug-related charges, including possession of controlled substances for the purposes of trafficking and theft of hydro electrical power. Noting that Ho had been in charge of grow house operations at three residences in the city and that police seized drugs with an estimated street value of $2 million, Patterson said the crimes called for a sentence that would satisfy the goals of deterrence and denunciation. "The RCMP is expressly and strongly concerned about grow house operations in residential settings and the involvement of organized crime," said Patterson. "This obviously was a sophisticated, wholesale operation and it clearly requires a penitentiary sentence." Federal prosecutor Richard Pollock said Ho came to the Windsor area from Toronto in 2004 and purchased four houses in the city. Three of the properties, in the 900 block of Curry, the 2300 block of Mercer, and the 4000 block of Maple Leaf Crescent, were renovated to be "completely dedicated to the production of drugs." In June, 2004, police were informed of suspicious activity and the Windsor police drug squad placed Ho under surveillance. A search warrant was executed at the home Ho shared with his wife at [address redacted] on June 22, where officers seized sets of keys for the other addresses. At the Maple Leaf Crescent location police discovered a house that showed no signs of human habitation but, instead, had been turned into a hot-house drug factory. They seized 455 marijuana plants at various stages of growth and 10 kilograms of marijuana with a total street value of $709,000. They also found cultivation and growth equipment including lights, fans, ventilation systems and plant nutrients. They discovered that the electrical system had been bypassed to allow for the theft of power. At least $5,000 worth of electricity had been stolen, Pollock said. At the Mercer address they found 361 plants, some approaching one metre in height, and 35 kilograms of marijuana with an estimated street value of $1 million. They also seized hydroponic growth and cultivation equipment and evidence of bypassed electricity. At the Curry residence, officers found 153 plants, some of them more than two metres high, valued at $353,000, and evidence of electricity theft, including receipts made out to fictitious customers. Pollock noted information provided by neighbours of those addresses placed Ho at those homes and in control of the properties. Pollock told the court Ho had invested heavily in the operation and his actions were "premeditated to profit from crime." He added that the size and sophistication of the illegal enterprise showed it was obviously for the purposes of moving large sales volumes, most likely for export. Defence lawyer Rob Dipietro said his client had pleaded guilty and it was his first offence in citing mitigating circumstances. Ho was one of seven people arrested that summer after police raided 11 houses and apartments and seized $5.5 million worth of marijuana. Four women and three men, all related by blood or marriage, were arrested. Ho's brother Trang Kien Ha, 34, has already been sentenced to 18 months. Charges against Ho's wife, Nhung Trang Nguyen, were dropped. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine