DRUG-LAB RAID ALSO TURNS UP TISSUE, BLOOD

E. Coli Among Biohazards Found In Ajax Residence

When police raided a Durham Region drug lab last week, they expected to
seize ecstasy and other designer drugs, not samples of E. coli bacteria and
biohazardous materials.

"Certainly we had no idea we would uncover what we did," Superintendent Ron
Taverner of Toronto police special investigation services said yesterday.

Police executed six search warrants around the GTA on July 17 and found a
clandestine drug lab in a Hester Ave. home in Pickering.

The lab produced ecstasy, speed, the so-called date rape drug GHB,
methamphetamines, steroids and other growth hormones.

A licensed chiropractor, a local university lecturer, an employee at a large
pharmaceutical company and one other person were charged in connection with
Project Dr. Feelgood, a five-month investigation into the manufacture and
distribution of designer drugs.

Police also seized samples of E. coli bacteria, human tissue, blood, bovine
serum and other biohazardous materials. Bovine serum is the protein-packed
liquid portion of blood from cattle after red blood cells are removed.

Police still aren't sure what the biohazardous material was doing there.

Ed Ishiguro, chair of the University of Victoria's biochemistry and
microbiology department, said although there aren't enough details to come
to firm conclusions, there are possible links between growth hormone, bovine
serum and human tissue.

"I can see that you could possibly use the human tissue as a source for
certain kinds of biochemicals which may be useful to the drug trade," he
said.

Bovine serum is used to grow human tissue in labs. It's possible human
tissue was being manufactured for hormones, but Ishiguro doubts that's the
case. "You would need an enormous amount of human tissue to make this
economically viable," he said.

The joint operation with Durham police, Health Canada and the Ajax fire
department seized more than 2,000 chemicals, a large number of illicit pills
and 2.5 kilograms of pure ecstasy.

Taverner said the powdered drug could have been turned into 400,000 pills.

"We would be naive to think we've stopped the flow of ecstasy. We've put a
dent in the supply probably for a short time, unfortunately, but there are
more labs out there," he said.

Illegal drug labs can also pose environmental dangers, police said.

Manufacturing 500 grams of ecstasy yields approximately 2.5 kilograms of
toxic waste, which might be disposed of unsafely in sewer systems, they
said.

Charged is Lisa Beaulieu, 26, who faces five counts of trafficking and
conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Patti Pantev, 28, faces the same
charges along with an additional charge of possession for the purpose of
trafficking.

Dr. Antonios Makris, 32, faces seven counts of trafficking, possession for
the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Indarjit Maharaj, 52, is charged with four counts of trafficking, producing
a controlled substance, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and
possession for the purpose of trafficking.