Pubdate: Fri, 24 Nov 2006 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2006, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://torontosun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457 Author: Rob Lamberti, Toronto Sun GROW-OP BUST YIELDS$6.5M IN POT PLANTS Twenty-Two Apartments Were Used in Jane St. Building Oscar Henriquez turned and looked as a Toronto narcotics officer put a bag of marijuana into a trailer yesterday. "I recognize that smell," the 52-year-old man said while standing outside the apartment building he lives in at 2600 Jane St. But what the neon sign maker didn't know was that the drug squad found 22 apartments with active grow operations in the 169-unit building north of Sheppard Ave. Police originally had warrants to search six apartments in the 13-storey building, but they found evidence and were tipped about the others. It's estimated each apartment had about 300 plants worth a total of about $6.5 million. Two people have been charged, and police expect further arrests. "I've never seen such a large or dangerous operation," Drug Squad Staff-Insp. Don Campbell said. "How could someone not know?" He said, however, the building's owners and the company that manages it didn't know about the grow-ops, and helped police in its investigation. ONE OR MORE Campbell said it's still not clear whether one organization is responsible or if there is more than one group. "Every one looked very similar to each other, most grows do. (But) we anticipate that it was probably a group that was responsible for all the grows," Campbell said. MOULD HAZARDS He said city inspectors and hydro crews took part in the raids to inspect the wiring and check for mould hazards in the units. In one electrical box, the covering of one wire had almost burned through, Campbell said. "We got here before anything happened," he said, adding that firefighters found a grow-op in the building in April when they responded to a blaze linked to the operation. Investigators are reviewing rental agreements to determine who leased the units. An 18-year-old who lives in the building was shocked at the extent of the grow-op. "That's ridiculous. This area has gotten worse and worse as the years go by," he said. Henriquez isn't surprised by the extent of the operation found in the apartments between the fourth and 12th floors. "I try not to know anybody because I'm afraid of the people here," he said. "We don't have friends here." Henriquez points to the driveway in which the police trailer was parked and said: "There was shooting right there last year. This area is very dangerous." - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine