HUGE BUST OF DRUG RAW MATERIALS

Vancouver police have made the largest-ever drug bust of chemicals
used to make ecstasy and crystal meth but say their unsuccessful
attempts at arrests have left them "finding ghosts."

What started out as a routine probe of identity theft turned into an
investigation of a multimillion-dollar, international drug-smuggling
ring that originated in China.

Insp. Dave Nelmes of the drug and vice section said the investigation
began Dec. 10 when a Burnaby man received a notice of a fee increase
for his storage locker in the 3500-block East 5th Avenue.

"He thought it was kind of strange, because he wasn't renting any
locker," Nelmes said. The man went down to the facility and found
someone had rented storage in his name with all his ID.

Police were called. They spotted five pallets containing 140 boxes
marked "soy sauce" but inside they found 280 15-litre plastic jugs
containing precursors to ecstasy and crystal meth.

Nelmes said police had a suspect but didn't have enough evidence to
lay charges.

"Everything is done by cash or by ID stolen from someone else or
created," he said.

"When we start to try to backtrack, you are finding ghosts -- there
are no people. It's frustrating for us, so we are working with others."