DURHAM - Days after abruptly shuttering its doors, an Oshawa marijuana dispensary has reopened, in defiance of a warning from Durham police. The Emerald Triangle dispensary on Simcoe Street North has resumed operations because clients are in need and buying pot on the street isn't a safe alternative for them, said Irie Selkirk, a consultant who spoke on behalf of the dispensary's owners. "This location has chosen to reopen their doors," she said. "The principals here received word from at least 40 patients who are having significant health issues. [continues 289 words]
On Saturday I wrote a news article on the status of Monterey County's only medical marijuana dispensary opening next month in Del Rey Oaks. In my reporting, I got to know DRO Mayor Jerry Edelen a bit better and was impressed with the thought process he described as he went from no to yes on the issue of medical marijuana. In Edelen you have a dyed-in-the-wool political conservative who listened carefully to friends and colleagues, then changed his mind and wasn't afraid to admit it. Pretty darned refreshing, I'd say. [continues 585 words]
Durham Cops Want More Consultation on Medical Marijuana DURHAM -- A potential proliferation of pot producers has prompted Durham police to seek more input in the granting of licenses for medical marijuana growers. Members of Durham Region's police services board passed a resolution Monday that calls on Health Canada to consult local cops prior to granting licenses to medical marijuana growers. A recent revision to laws governing medical marijuana would require users to obtain their weed from authorized growers, rather than growing their own. [continues 263 words]
He ventured into the wilds of north Durham Region looking for Sasquatch, but a Toronto man says he was instead confronted by an angry police officer who accused him of being a dope grower. In a complaint filed with Durham police, Tim Marczenko claims he was detained, called a liar and accused of committing crimes he had no part in. Durham police have reviewed the complaint and, while admitting Marczenko's survival knife was seized in error, found no misconduct on the part of the officer. Marczenko has appealed to a police oversight agency. [continues 194 words]
SAN FRANCISCO - It's almost a cliche these days that this city and its sister to the east, Oakland, stand as the primary incubators of some of California's infamously wacky but later transformational social and political ideas. From the Silicon Valley to Oakland and Berkeley to the Napa Valley - if it was at first weird, untested, illegal and/or controversial, it probably got its start right here. Now a small but determined coalition of Bay Area activists and politicos are on a mission to have California be the first state in the union to fully legalize, regulate and tax the use of marijuana - and they're approaching that goal from several different angles. [continues 897 words]
Police Breached Charter Rights, He Rules WHITBY -- Durham police seriously breached the constitutional rights of a Whitby man during a drug investigation, a Superior Court judge said in tossing out charges against him Monday. Cops were acting solely on a hunch and denied Roland Liebregts the most basic of rights afforded to him under the Charter of Rights when they apprehended and questioned him near his Taunton Road home in the early morning hours of Sept. 23, 2005, Justice Barry MacDougall said in his ruling. [continues 362 words]
Picture this: The sun's beating down and you're kicking back, relaxing in your neighbourhood park on a summer's day; all is right with the world. Until you're startled by a commotion nearby. You open your eyes to see a German shepherd nosing through your knapsack. "Relax," says a police officer holding the dog's leash. "Just a random search." Far fetched? Maybe ...maybe not. This kind of scenario is at the heart of arguments heard this week in Canada's Supreme Court. The Crown is appealing the acquittal of A.M., a Sarnia high school student who beat drug charges after a judge ruled the way in which the dope was found -- police brought a drug sniffer dog in and locked students down while they scoured the building -- infringed upon the teen's Charter rights. [continues 256 words]
Recalls Home Invasion Terror WHITBY -- A key Crown witness was overcome with emotion Thursday as he recounted what he described as a life and death struggle with several masked men who stormed his south Ajax home in a robbery attempt. Donald Newell said he fought desperately with the men, who invaded his house in an apparent attempt to steal the marijuana he was licensed to grow for medical reasons. "I've had these people ruin my life for two years," said Mr. Newell, his voice breaking and tears coming to his eyes after about a half hour on the witness stand in Superior Court in Whitby Thursday morning. [continues 351 words]
Owners Held on Murder Conspiracy Charge WHITBY -- The notorious Hells Angels clubhouse in central Oshawa remains under police guard after a judge extended a preservation order on the property. Superior Court Justice Robert Clark granted a request for the extension, made by a lawyer representing the provincial Attorney General Monday. The property remains frozen at least until Nov. 21, when lawyers are to be in court once more. The clubhouse, on Ortono Avenue in the Bloor Street - Wilson Road area, has been under police guard since the province moved to seize it under the Civil Remedies Act in late September. Under the act, the government may apply to the courts for forfeiture of assets and properties if it can be proven they are proceeds or instruments of illegal activity. [continues 161 words]
The long-simmering standoff that is "The Police versus Hells Angles Motorcycle Club" is defined, it seems, by a continuous and uneasy siege, each side eyeing the other with loathing and distrust. This ongoing impasse is punctuated on occasion by events not unlike eruptions from a restless volcano. Such an event occurred last week, when police in Durham and across the province arrested 27 bikers on charges ranging from drug trafficking to conspiracy to commit murder. Operation Tandem, 18 months in the making and carried out with the assistance of an informant from within the Hells Angels, dealt the bikers a blow; although the HA is a powerful organization with tentacles extending around the world, full-patch members and high-placed officers are not that numerous. In Oshawa, the arrest of five members, including the chapter president, was seen as a significant strike by police. [continues 228 words]
The new Conservative government in Ottawa is right on track in hinting they'll not pursue the previous administration's plans to decriminalize marijuana. In fact, they should go one step further. Legalize it. This is not a plea to liberalize attitudes towards the use of the drug so much as a suggestion legalization may help to fight, if not eliminate, the criminal activity that surrounds it. When it comes to pot, there are certain undeniable truths. First is this: People have always smoked dope and they always will. The second is that the value of marijuana, like petroleum and other tightly controlled substances, is directly affected by the quantity available and the demand for it. [continues 277 words]
Unconscious Man Was Found In Driver's Seat WHITBY -- Officers responding to reports of an unconscious man felt they had to search his vehicle in case he had overdosed on drugs, a Superior Court judge heard this week. An unresponsive John Wesley had been seen sitting at the wheel of his van at a gas station near Orono for several hours on Nov. 26, 2000, before Durham Regional Police were called, Justice Alan Bryant heard at the outset of Mr. Wesley's trial on drug and weapons charges. The first officer on the scene, Constable Michel Roy, said circumstances led him to believe the man may have committed suicide. [continues 305 words]
The whistle-blower who rocked the Durham Regional Police with allegations of criminal misconduct by drug officers is himself facing disciplinary action. Constable Bob Chopee, identified by numerous sources as the cop who alleged criminal activity on the part of his former colleagues on the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), faces four charges under the Police Services Act. The veteran officer was not present when a brief hearing was held last Friday morning at a police administration building in Whitby. Staff Inspector Brian Fazackerley, the prosecutor representing the police service, asked for an adjournment until July. [continues 129 words]
Police Entered Grow Op Before Warrant Obtained WHITBY - Cops responding to a vicious dog call saw the door to a residence wide open and detected the smell of marijuana wafting out of it, a Superior Court judge heard Wednesday. Durham Regional Police Constable Jim Zaphiropoulos testified that he was informed by officers already on scene of the possibility that a marijuana grow operation was inside when he arrived at 650 Highview Rd. in Pickering on the evening of April 20, 2003. [continues 490 words]
Police found hundreds of marijuana plants WHITBY - A defence witness has testified that he saw police break into a Pickering house in which a marijuana grow operation was later found. The evidence, from municipal animal control officer Scott Gibb, appeared to contradict versions of events provided by Durham Regional Police officers, who have told Superior Court Justice Barry MacDougall that the door of the home stood wide open as they watched two vicious dogs disappear through it. Police have testified the door was insecure and would not latch, leading them to believe someone may have broken into 560 Highview Rd. on April 20, 2003. Officers have pointed to the presence of the dogs in the house, and their suspicion that someone may have been inside with them, as grounds for entering the house without a search warrant. [continues 412 words]
A report is expected in early 2005 on whether any more police officers will be charged in the continuing fallout from a lengthy probe into the actions of Durham drug cops. Investigators continue to examine more than 50 drug enforcement unit case files, dating back to 2001, to determine if charges will be laid under the Police Services Act, said Durham Regional Police spokesman Dave Selby. Meanwhile, charges against several former members of the unit have been dealt with. Constables Phil Edgar, Dave McDougal, and Dave Wright pleaded guilty to charges of insubordination and received 20-hour suspensions without pay. [continues 139 words]
City Lauds Effort To Clean Up Neighbourhoods OSHAWA - "Outraged" city residents looking to reclaim their neighbourhoods are being credited for their role in a drug sweep that netted 37 street-level dealers, as well as firearms and thousands of dollars worth of drugs. Oshawa Mayor John Gray was among the officials in attendance Friday afternoon when Durham Regional Police displayed drugs, cash and guns seized during a five-month undercover operation that resulted in 300 charges. He said police responded to concerns raised by city officials, who heard from downtown residents that they'd become fed up with drugs, prostitution and violence plaguing their neighbourhoods. [continues 404 words]
Fifteen-Year Durham Police Veteran Tom Andrews Docked 40 Hours Of Pay And Reprimanded The former head of the Durham Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit has been docked 40 hours pay and issued a reprimand after pleading guilty to insubordination and discreditable conduct. Det. Tom Andrews, a 15-year veteran of the service, entered the pleas last Wednesday. The pleas and penalty were part of a deal worked out between the police service and Det. Andrews and his lawyer, Bernie O'Brien. Both sides adhered to a pledge not to comment beyond releasing an agreed statement of facts that was read during a brief tribunal at police headquarters in Oshawa. [continues 534 words]
Docked 40 Hours Pay for Misguided Attempt to Support Colleagues OSHAWA The former head of the Durham Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) has been docked 40 hours pay and issued a reprimand after pleading guilty to insubordination and discreditable conduct. Det. Tom Andrews, a 15-year veteran of the service, entered the pleas Wednesday. The pleas and penalty were part of a deal worked out between the police service and Det. Andrews and his lawyer, Bernie O'Brien. Both sides adhered to a pledge not to comment beyond releasing an agreed statement of facts that was read during a brief tribunal at police headquarters in Oshawa. [continues 528 words]
Chief expresses relief, but many officers still angry OSHAWA -- A 20-month investigation into allegations of criminal activity by former Durham Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit members has concluded, with no charges being laid. Chief Kevin McAlpine told reporters Thursday morning that the extensive OPP probe into allegations including assault, theft, misappropriation of funds, perjury and damage to property has resulted in "no reasonable prospect of a criminal conviction." "I personally feel some relief on my own behalf, and on behalf of the members," the chief said during a press conference at police headquarters in downtown Oshawa. [continues 1058 words]
Oshawa Woman Wants To Know Why Methadone Caused Mother's Death OSHAWA -- The drug was supposed to help her, not kill her. Almost a year later, Darlene Jenkins is still asking why methadone, the drug prescribed to help her 44-year-old mother battle her long-time dependency on painkillers, ended up causing her mom's death. "I'd never even heard of the stuff until she told me she was on it," Ms. Jenkins, 25, said. "She obviously wanted the help to get off what she was on, so I was all for it." [continues 905 words]
OPP Investigation Of Durham Police Prompts Delays In Courts Part two in a two-part series on the drug unit investigation DURHAM -- The ongoing investigation into allegations against Durham Region drug unit cops has halted the progress of a number of high-profile cases through the courts. Although no charges have been dismissed while the courts await the outcome of an Ontario Provincial Police investigation begun in February of 2003, the delays are unsettling, said Alex Sosna, who represents the Federal Crown attorney in drug cases in Durham Region. [continues 772 words]
DURHAM -- Durham Regional Police brass are engaged in a "witch hunt" in the wake of allegations of misconduct by members of the drug-enforcement unit (DEU), say cops targeted by the probe. Some sources say an investigation begun by the Ontario Provincial Police in February of 2003 is unlikely to produce evidence of criminal actions among the 11 former DEU cops who are the subject of the probe. They say that laying Police Services Act charges against as many as 30 officers - many of whom were only peripherally connected to DEU activities - is a face-saving effort by a police administration that launched an extensive and costly investigation based on allegations made by one former member of the unit. [continues 1830 words]
Police in York Region are struggling to keep up with an ever-expanding wave of organized crime, the police services board heard yesterday. "You can only be so efficient. And we're bound by resources," Insp. Randy Horne said. "Our challenges are only going to get greater." Insp. Horne, of the force's investigative services unit, outlined for board members a web of crime that extends to all corners of the planet and is increasingly infringing upon everyday life here. He outlined how gangs with ties in Asia, Italy, Eastern Europe and North America have established a foothold and staked their claim in York Region. [continues 450 words]
York Regional Police continued their war on marijuana grow houses, seizing an estimated $6.2 million worth of plants from 23 locations in Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham last month. More than 6,200 plants were seized during Operation Lights Out, which saw police working in conjunction with local utility companies to identify and raid the grow operations. The crops were, in all likelihood, established by organized crime rings, said Staff sgt. Karen Noakes of the drugs and vice squad. "We believe it's Asian organized crime," she said. [continues 295 words]
Fire, Chemicals Some Of Risks Faced By Families When drug squad cops arrived at a Woodbridge home armed with a search warrant last month, they found what they expected: 150 marijuana plants in a grow lab. What they were surprised to find was people living in the house, including a nine-year-old child. The discovery, in a residential neighbourhood like many others in the region, is indicative of what York Regional Police are calling a disturbing trend: children living in homes that have been converted to marijuana grow labs. [continues 491 words]
When drug squad cops arrived at a Woodbridge home armed with a search warrant last month, they found what they expected: 150 marijuana plants in a grow lab. What they were surprised to find was people living in the house, including a nine-year-old child. The discovery, in a residential neighbourhood like many others in the region, is indicative of what York Regional Police are calling a disturbing trend: children living in homes that have been converted to marijuana grow labs. [continues 472 words]
When drug squad cops arrived at a Woodbridge home armed with a search warrant last month, they found what they expected: 150 marijuana plants in a grow lab. What they were surprised to find was people living in the house, including a nine-year-old child. The discovery, in a residential neighbourhood like many others in the region, is indicative of what York Regional Police are calling a disturbing trend: children living in homes that have been converted to marijuana grow labs. [continues 492 words]
York Police Chief Sees Move As Afterthought "Good evening, sir. "Have you smoked any joints tonight?" Laugh if you want, but a discussion paper currently being circulated among the provinces probes the possibility of providing police with powers to detect marijuana-impaired drivers -- and use the full extent of the law to prosecute them. The move by the federal Justice Department appears to be occurring in conjunction with or, as a footnote to, Ottawa's apparent desire to decriminalize marijuana possession. [continues 713 words]
Police Chief Sees Move As Afterthought "Good evening, sir. "Have you smoked any joints tonight?" Laugh if you want, but a discussion paper currently being circulated among the provinces probes the possibility of providing police with powers to detect marijuana-impaired drivers -- and use the full extent of the law to prosecute them. The move by the federal Justice Department appears to be occurring in conjunction with or, as a footnote to, Ottawa's apparent desire to decriminalize marijuana possession. And those on both sides of the issue are critical of the exercise. [continues 700 words]
Chief Relieved Recreational Use Illegal Again Tuesday's Appeal Court ruling on marijuana possession clears up uncertainty for cops who were left in legal limbo for months, says York Region's police chief. "We have been in a state of confusion, I would suggest," Armand La Barge said after the ruling was released. "I know our officers have really struggled with this." The Appeal Court decision clears up constitutional confusion over the medical use of marijuana and reinstates the Criminal Code prohibition on simple possession. [continues 558 words]
Pot Possession Ruled Illegal For Recreational Users Tuesday's Appeal Court ruling on marijuana possession clears up uncertainty for cops who were left in legal limbo for months, says York Region's police chief. "We have been in a state of confusion, I would suggest," Armand La Barge said after the ruling was released. "I know our officers have really struggled with this." The Appeal Court decision clears up constitutional confusion over the medical use of marijuana and reinstates the Criminal Code prohibition on simple possession. [continues 561 words]
Recreational Users No Longer Immune To Criminal Charges Tuesday's Appeal Court ruling on marijuana possession clears up uncertainty for cops who were left in legal limbo for months, says York Region's police chief. "We have been in a state of confusion, I would suggest," Armand La Barge said after the ruling was released. "I know our officers have really struggled with this." The Appeal Court decision clears up constitutional confusion over the medical use of marijuana and reinstates the Criminal Code prohibition on simple possession. [continues 561 words]
Federal Government Urged To Address Situation Immediately Dithering by Ottawa over marijuana possession laws has left cops in the "absurd" position of investigating reports of stolen stashes, says a member of the York Region police services board. "We need to have the federal government deal with this immediately so our police service knows what it's doing," Bob Callow said at the board's meeting in Newmarket Wednesday. He was reacting to a policy paper that states the board's opposition to decriminalization of small amounts of pot. While the government has indicated it is leaning toward a more lenient approach to simple possession, no new laws have been passed. [continues 265 words]
Board Member Incensed By Situation Dithering by Ottawa over marijuana possession laws has left cops in the "absurd" position of investigating reports of stolen stashes, says a member of the York Region police services board. "We need to have the federal government deal with this immediately so our police service knows what it's doing," Bob Callow said at the board's meeting in Newmarket Wednesday. He was reacting to a policy paper that states the board's opposition to decriminalization of small amounts of pot. While the government has indicated it is leaning toward a more lenient approach to simple possession, no new laws have been passed. [continues 263 words]
Police Services Grapple With 'Absurd' Situation Dithering by Ottawa over marijuana possession laws has left cops in the "absurd" position of investigating reports of stolen stashes, says a member of the York Region police services board. "It's ridiculous to put our police service in the position where someone can report the theft of their drugs and we're in the position of going out and trying to find out who stole their marijuana," Bob Callow said at the board's meeting in Newmarket Wednesday. [continues 284 words]
Resources Could Be Put To Better Use, Officer Says York Regional Police Chief Armand La Barge's war on marijuana grow houses is siphoning resources from efforts to control other, more serious drugs, says the head of the police union. "We are focusing too much on marijuana," John Miskiw, president of the York Regional Police Association, said during a public meeting on staffing and funding issues Thursday night. Police resources used to shut down marijuana grow houses -- residential units in which hundreds of plants are grown, typically using stolen electricity -- should be used to tackle more serious street drugs, such as crack cocaine and heroin. [continues 206 words]
Search Warrant Needed To Use Infrared Equipment: Courts Airborne cops need search warrants before they can use infrared technology to sniff out marijuana, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled. The ruling is significant for York Regional Police, who last year busted some 170 pot houses, Chief Armand La Barge said. "(The ruling) will definitely have an impact on how we do business," Chief La Barge said Tuesday. He was reacting to Monday's court decision, which overturned the conviction of a Windsor-area man who had been sentenced to 18 months in jail after police seized marijuana from his home. [continues 327 words]
