SALES OF HOT-TUB CHEMICALS TRACED TO ECSTASY LABS

YORK REGIONAL Police used some new-fangled detective work to make a
"shocking" Ecstasy bust -- the largest in Canadian history. By tracing
the sale of chemicals commonly used in hot tubs, deodorants and air
fresheners -- which also happen to be key ingredients for illicit
drugs -- police uncovered a complex, organized Ecstasy ring and with
it 1,000 kilos of liquid and powder MDMA (Ecstasy).

The seized powdered drug was 96% pure and packed in vacuum-sealed
bags, likely ready for shipment to the U.S. It's worth $100 million
but has a potential street value of half a billion dollars and is more
than the total amount seized in all of the U.S. in 2003, police said.

"The quantity is shocking," said Det. Don Cardwell of the vice squad.
"I just hope (Ecstasy production) isn't about to get out of hand like
the marijuana labs."

York police, led by Det.-Const. Doug Tetrault, developed a new
policing technique in July and began monitoring the sale of chemicals
like safrole and piperonal, which are precursors in the production of
MDMA.

EASY TO MAKE

Ecstasy is a semi-synthetic compound that can be made relatively
easily by anyone with more than two years of college chemistry. The
precursor chemicals for MDMA are tightly controlled in the U.S. But,
in Canada there are no restrictions on buying them.

On Dec. 6, the chemicals were traced to two individuals, leading to a
Markham house and two Toronto houses.

"We knew we were walking into a drug lab but we had no idea how big it
was," Cardwell said.

In total, three homes and four storage units in Toronto and Markham
were raided over three days last week. Police also found a quantity of
hash and some cash.

Seven people, mostly from B.C., have been arrested.

York police services board Chair David Barrow said the drug's use is
on the rise not only in Markham, but in all of the Greater Toronto
Area.

Markham Mayor Don Cousens said he was outraged the drug was in his
town.

"It's not a good feeling at all that this would happen in our
community," he said.