Copyright: 2004 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: letters@thecitizen.canwest.com
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Authors: Don Campbell, Kelly Roesler, Isabel Teotonio, The Ottawa Citizen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

NERVE CENTRE - A GARMENT FACTORY IN LITTLE ITALY

The headquarters was an inconspicuous shop, located in a rundown, concrete
block warehouse in the heart of Ottawa's Little Italy.

Few people would have suspected that behind the sewing machines, Vivi
Fashion was really a front for one of the largest international marijuana
distribution and money-laundering criminal networks to operate out of
Ottawa -- a network with ties to Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Police say Ottawa was the "heart" of the network. The mastermind behind it
was a 38-year-old Vietnamese woman, Mai Le, who's known on Preston Street
as "The Queen."

The operation was so large, that several police agencies in both Canada and
the United States worked more than two years to finally deliver the
knockout punch early yesterday in a series of raids on houses and
businesses throughout Ottawa.

The raids coincided with others carried out in Toronto, Montreal and 12
states in the U.S., including New York and California. Its key players
never had the chance to tip each other off.

One American Drug Enforcement Administration officer described it as a
"full-blown criminal machine."

Police relished the news that not only had they taken out street-level
criminals, but "the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive
Officer" of the criminal network. They accused Ms. Le of laundering more
than $5 million U.S. each month through a series of networks reaching into
Asia.

More than 400 police officers executed 32 search warrants in the Ottawa
area, nabbing Ms. Le as she slept in her home on Prince of Wales Drive.
They then moved on to scoop up eight more of the organization's key
figures, all of whom are relatives.

By morning's end, 20 others had been arrested and charged with a variety of
offences related to drug trafficking, money laundering and proceeds of crime.

Police say it all started at the clothes manufacturing shop on Pamilla
Street, just west of Rochester, a location the organization vacated late
last year to move to Wellington Street.

"It was a very small operation, but a legitimate sewing and clothes
manufacturing plant," said RCMP Staff Sgt. Jacques Lemieux, the project
manager for the Ottawa part of the operation, dubbed Project Codi. "But it
gave the group a legitimacy as to why they had the houses and why they
drove the cars they did."

The search warrants covered homes, businesses and bank accounts, and shut
down eight marijuana grow operations. Police seized $1.1 million in cash,
more than 1,100 marijuana plants, $100,000 in growing equipment, two sports
cars, and a number of computers.

Police said searches would continue, and that those figures were likely to
grow.

Ottawa police first became aware of a possible drug network in 2001. That's
when they realized that a number of marijuana grow operations they were
breaking up had connections to one particular group -- Ms. Le's clan.

Rather than bust it immediately, they devised a plan to follow the money.

"When we first opened the door, we stepped back and said, 'Oh my God, what
have we opened up?'," said Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault, who until recently was
head of the Ottawa drug unit. "In one sense, we were not so surprised at
the organization, but it was even more than what we thought."

Within a year, Ottawa police had rallied the RCMP and Ontario Provincial
Police to join in. Then, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Canada-U.S.
border security agencies joined in. By June 2003, the investigation was
going full bore, leading to the final decision to take it down.

The investigators, numbered at more than 30, were all seasoned veterans and
were backed by about 30 support people. One police official described them
as "an elite or super team."

While the U.S. centres might be more easily linked to organized crime,
Ottawa was the network's hub.

The nation's capital was the "heart" of this global operation, said RCMP
assistant commissioner Ghyslaine Clement. "Through real and fictitious
agencies, it was able to launder money to fund other agencies.

"The most significant aspect of this is that in one wave, we were able to
shoot down not just one network, but several networks in the U.S."

Now comes the forensic stage of the investigation, where police experts
will examine business and bank accounts to link to the network.

"This is not so much about marijuana grows as it is about organized crime
and money laundering," said Ottawa police Chief Vince Bevan.

"We can spend all our time going house-to-house-to-house. But we found it
better to spend our time tracking the money, than coming back and busting
the organization.

"We saw early an opportunity to connect to other criminal organizations in
the U.S. All the intelligence we gathered got us ready.

"And these kinds of operations breed all sorts of things in the community.
Often, violence is not far behind. There is no doubt, grow operations will
continue to exist. Our target will continue to be large-scale operations."

In total, 35 people were charged in Ottawa, and 24 appeared in court by the
end of the day after a special court was opened to accommodate the
additional appearances. Three were released on cash bail ranging from
$5,000 to $25,000. The rest were put over for bail hearings or dates to set
bail hearings.

Seven more still had yet to appear and nine arrest warrants were
outstanding. Another nine people were charged and released from the police
station on a promise to appear.

Police say much of the money laundering was taking place at MDM money
exchange on Laurier Street. It was crude and simplistic. The launderers
would simply bring Canadian cash, change to other currencies, then cash in
the new currencies elsewhere.

Defence lawyer Mark Ertel represents three of the accused. He wouldn't
comment on the charges against them, but questioned whether the raids were
good use of police resources with the possibility of marijuana being
decriminalized in the near future.

"The police seem to be investing a lot of resources into investigating
marijuana grow operations," he said. "It strikes me that there are more
pressing policing and public safety issues, but I guess it's all a question
of priorities."

Rob Sellar, Ms. Le's lawyer, would not comment on the charges, saying he
hadn't reviewed the information supporting the charges against her.

In each raid yesterday, the scenario played out much the same with many
neighbours of those accused awakening to the sight of officers, some in
full riot gear, busting into seemingly peaceful homes.

"I woke up to the battering ram around 7 a.m." said Cara Thompson, who
lives on Pinetrail Crescent. "They rammed the door about 10 times."

Around the corner, stunned neighbours gathered outside the home on
Wildbriar Way.

"About a year ago, there was a rumour going on that the house was under
police surveillance," said Keith Fulton, whose property is adjacent to the
home.

Many neighbours said they had spotted suspicious looking cars parked
throughout the neighbourhood for an entire month last year.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, an RCMP tactical unit swarmed 2694 Iris St.
and took two handcuffed men in to custody but released two women.

Officers combed through the house and carefully inspected five vehicles
parked in the driveway with the help of two police dogs.

As they conducted the raid, they removed the telltale signs of a marijuana
grow house.

One neighbour, who was shocked to see several cruisers outside the house
remarked, "I thought to myself, 'Are they making a movie?' "