HIGHRISE HOUSED A $1M GROW-OP

7 Suites Filled With Plants

The odour of marijuana permeated hallways at a roach-infested Parkdale
apartment building yesterday after police busted a $1-million grow
operation that spanned several floors.

Tenants of the derelict highrise at 75 Spencer St., near King and
Dufferin Sts., who are mainly recent immigrants and do not speak
fluent English, said they were not surprised by the discovery, which
yielded 1,000 marijuana plants grown in seven separate rental units.

The residents felt the heat of the hydroponic lamps and smelled the
weed.

"Everybody knows (about) that," said a petite Asian woman, who would
not give her name. "The smell is very strong."

Toronto police broke down doors on four floors of the building Friday
night and seized all manner of growing apparatus, including the
plants, which were at various stages of growth.

Yesterday, doors to the seven apartments remained ajar. Garbage bags
filled with soil were stacked in the corner of unit 805 -- a tray of
seedlings sat atop them.

Indoor Greenhouse

Low hanging cone-shaped lamps suspended from the ceiling by chain
covered every inch of floor and large aluminum ducts lay broken beside
dirty photo paper, rubber gloves, tangled wires and bottles of
chemical fertilizer.

A man who lives down the hall from suite 805 said the people who
rented the apartment only visited between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. nightly
and dropped soil along the hallway to and from countless trips up and
down the lift.

"The elevator is busy and makes a lot of noise," the man said, noting
he has been awakened by the late night activity since February, when
the new tenants moved in. He said they had no furniture. "I try to
peek but I can't see them."

Officers said as they were executing search warrants Friday one of the
grow-op suspects jumped off an eighth-floor balcony to try to escape.
A man was later arrested and faces several drug charges.

While many tenants were close-mouthed about the incident yesterday,
officers said the bust was a direct result of calls from concerned
residents.

The Asian woman said most people in the building have harboured
suspicions about the activity in the apartments for some time, but
were afraid to go to authorities.

"They think if they do or say something, the landlords give them
trouble," she said, adding that's why they tolerate the leaks, bugs
and mould-riddled accommodations. "They're scared."

Tenants 'Nice'

She said she has questioned the landlord and he said the tenants in
the seven suites were "nice." The landlord was unavailable yesterday
for comment.

Loi Truong, 45, of Toronto, faces several charges including four
counts of producing marijuana and possession of the proceeds of crime.