Copyright: 2004 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: letters@thecitizen.canwest.com
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Kirstin Endemann, The Ottawa Citizen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

PAMILLA STREET BUSINESS BUSY, QUIET - NEIGHBOURS

A building police say housed a drug-fuelled money-laundering operation that
processed $5 million U.S. a month quietly masqueraded as a clothing
business for years in the shadow of a complex of federal government office
buildings in central Ottawa.

Ottawa police say Vivi Fashion, which operated at 63 Pamilla St. until it
closed in January, was the money-laundering front of a drug ring that dealt
in ecstasy and marijuana, and involved people from Canada, the U.S. and
Vietnam. Mai Le, of Ottawa, is alleged to have headed the money-laundering
operation and was one of about 170 people arrested yesterday.

"The building would have been a great spot" for illegal activity, said
Gordon Lorimer, partner with Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Inc.,
which took possession of the building in early February and plans to
renovate it and make it its headquarters.

"There were virtually no windows in it and it was heavily reinforced.
Previously it had been a secure building for the original builders. And
there was a big vault inside it."

The building was first rented to Vivi Fashion about five years ago by
Ottawa Preston Holdings, said Mario Frangione, one of the company's owners.
It was leased to Ms. Le's boyfriend, Lansom Nguyen, but Mr. Frangione said
he also had several dealings with Ms. Le.

"I don't remember ever seeing anything fishy there," Mr. Frangione said.
About twice a year, the rent cheques would bounce, he said.

But after approaching the couple, a replacement cheque was always provided,
he said.

According to neighbours on the mostly residential street just off Preston
in Little Italy, the parking lot of the small, white, one-storey building
was always busy and full of cars.

"Whether they were attached to that building or from some others I do not
know," said a neighbour who runs a day care out of her house. "But the ...
people in that building worked very hard and lots of hours. They did
something industrial, something with clothes."

The woman declined to give her name, saying she is frightened by the
activities police say have been happening on her street. "Money laundering
is very serious, very dangerous."

A man who lives with his wife, son and foster children near the building
said the operators of Vivi Fashion moved in sometime in 2001.

The man, who asked not to be identified to protect his children, said he
has been advised to expect the arrival of children needing emergency foster
care as a result of yesterday's arrests.

"What looked like dry cleaning was delivered to the building all day," he
said. "Obviously they did work with clothes, tailoring and sewing and the
like. You could see women and young men working."

The male neighbour only interacted with a man who appeared to be in his
mid-30s, though he knew there were others involved in the business.

Three vehicles were regularly in the building's parking lot, among others,
he said: a black BMW, a Lexus, and a blue GMC Safari that the neighbour
said was used as a delivery van. The neighbour also noticed, by chance,
that the same three vehicles were often together in a driveway at a house
on Prince of Wales Drive.

"They were very quiet and worked hard, but there were no deliveries made in
the middle of the night or anything like that, though they were busy," said
the neighbour. "The van started making deliveries at maybe 7 in the
morning, and stopped maybe about 7 at night. Normal business hours."

Architect Barry Hobin said he rarely saw more than three or four people in
the building and never any clothes-manufacturing activity between September
2003, when he first looked at the building, and when he took possession of
the building in February.

"It looked like a sweatshop business that had lost work," he said. "There
were at least 15 sewing stations set up and evidence a lot of work had been
done there -- a steam line and boiler, and lint and dirt from the
operation. And the vault had been cut open so they could store clothing in it.

Mr. Hobin also said that in their extensive renovation to the building they
have yet to find anything suspicious or noteworthy.