DAY AFTER POLICE RAID, SHOPS SHUT

The door to MDN Currency Exchange Services, really just a counter
inside a highrise office building at 150 Laurier Ave. W., remained
locked yesterday, every light out, and no one around to deal in any
kind of currency or answer inquiries.

Nearby, the same was true at Canada Financial Services on Somerset
Street, where a phone call to the firm quickly jumped to a message
machine, that said no one from the firm was available to take a call.

One day after the largest Ottawa-based police drug investigation
delivered a knockout punch to an international drug and
money-laundering network, the financial institutions allegedly at the
core of laundering money -- from Ottawa to points in the United
States, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia -- have also been
effectively closed pending further police investigation.

Those institutions will likely remain that way for the foreseeable
future as investigators assess the results of 32 search warrants at
eight residences and numerous businesses, and the arrests of 170
people across North America, including 29 in Ottawa.

"To this point, our investigation has all been covert," said Staff
Sgt. Marc Pinault, whose drug unit first drew the conclusion that a
complex network was behind the numerous marijuana growing operations
in the Ottawa area.

"There's been the gathering of the intelligence, the investigation,
the surveillance, then the execution of the warrants, etc," said Staff
Sgt. Pinault.

"But after Wednesday, well now we're into their houses, into their
records and into their paperwork. And everybody keeps some kind of
records.

"Now we have to assess what we have. A lot of what we gather may lead
to us gaining further intelligence. On the other hand, we may find
information which could lead us to lay further charges or make further
arrests. We just don't know at this point. It's so early."

The joint forces operation, which involved city, provincial and
federal police agencies in both Canada and the U.S., culminated in an
extensive and complex two-year investigation with the arrest of
alleged kingpins May Le, 39, of Ottawa, and Ze Wai Wong, 49, of Toronto.

Police believe Ms. Le is the mastermind behind city marijuana grow ops
and money laundering, operating behind a shield of low-profile, small
businesses in the area, including a clothes manufacturing plant.

Mr. Wong was allegedly a virtual chief executive officer of a network
moving the dangerous drug ecstasy, and investigators believe he relied
on Ms. Le to launder the profits of his traffickers.

Police also arrested at least eight members of Ms. Le's immediate
family during the series of raids, and continued to make arrests
yesterday while a number of targets remained at large.

Staff Sgt. Pinault said the volume of material gathered during the
raids was huge and said it could take weeks before investigators get
through it. He said it's possible that a costly and time-consuming
forensic audit of the trail of money could be ordered.

"Executing 30-some warrants leaves no shortage of material to go
through," said Staff Sgt. Pinault. "It now becomes a process where we
assess what we have and then decide on what techniques we will use to
flush it out further.

"There's still a lot of work to be done and this investigation is far
from complete."

Ms. Le is scheduled to make her second appearance in court next week,
while most of those arrested have been released on bail and conditions.

Meanwhile yesterday in Toronto, Mr. Wong, the alleged "CEO," appeared
bewildered as he made a brief court appearance.

He will remain in custody at least until Monday, when he is scheduled
to have a bail hearing. Justice Department officials said that since
the 46-year old man is in Canada illegally, he is unlikely to be
released from custody even if he receives bail on the criminal charges.

Court documents filed yesterday list 39 trafficking and exporting of
narcotics-related charges, between February and August of 2003.

Kai Wu, who is believed to be Mr. Wong's ex-wife and mother of their
two children, also appeared in court briefly. She faces marijuana
production charges and is reported to be a Canadian citizen without
any criminal record. She will have a bail hearing today.

Randall Barrs, who currently represents Mr. Wong and his ex-wife, said
the evidence against his clients appears to be based on police
wiretaps, but he could not comment further until he receives more
disclosure from the prosecution.