GROW-OP CHIEF GUILTY

Ex-Beer Plant In Barrie The Biggest Known Pot Plantation

A MAN known as the "chief" of the gardeners pleaded guilty yesterday
to drug charges in connection with the mammoth marijuana plantation
flourishing inside the former Molson's brewery in Barrie. Michael
DiCicco, 61, of Toronto, pleaded guilty in Barrie court to production
and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, a charge
that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, although sentences
over two years are rarely handed out by judges in grow-op cases.

Last January hundreds of police officers converged on the giant grow
house that, so far, has surpassed any other in Canada in size. Cops
found a sophisticated multi-million dollar operation with employed
gardeners who lived inside hidden quarters and worked around the clock
to crank out crops that netted $100 million a year.

TWO WAREHOUSES

Dressed in a black suit and tie, DiCicco, nicknamed "Chief" by others
in the operation, looked confused after the charges were read to him.
He turned to his lawyer and asked, "Guilty?" before he admitted guilt
to the court.

Federal prosecutor Karen Jokinen went through an elaborate
presentation that revealed the inside workings of the intricate
operation, which filled two separate warehouses totalling nearly
17,000 square metres.

The construction of the operation used specialized electricians and
tradespeople who installed lighting and elaborate air-conditioning
systems and stolen generators to grow thousands of plants as thick as
hedges, with giant charcoal filters to muffle the staggering smell
from the large jungle-like rooms.

The operation went undetected for at least two years.

Workers, who never left the property and worked 24-hour shifts, lived
behind hidden walls in self-contained living quarters with bedrooms,
bathrooms, fully stocked kitchens and common dormitories with
televisions, video games and stereos.

Secret cameras were hooked up to the stereo speakers so the brains
behind the operation could monitor the workers. A list of rules posted
on a wall stated "the boss is never wrong," "mistakes cost $100" and
"you turn it, you earn it."

OPP Det. Staff-Sgt. Rick Barnum testified he believed the marijuana
was destined for the United States, either for sale or for trade for
weapons and cocaine. He said grow-ops are rare in the U.S. because of
stiff prison sentences, compared to relatively light sentences in Canada.

"It's really not a good idea to produce marijuana in the U.S.," Barnum
said on the witness stand. "It is grown relatively risk-free in Canada
and almost always makes its way south."

He said one OPP undercover study showed that about 2,000 grow houses
operated in all of the U.S., compared to 15,000 to 25,000 in the
Toronto region alone.

The two warehouses inside the 43,000-square-metre Molson's plant were
leased by two businesses under the names of National Pallet and Barrie
Good Fish, which police now say were a front.

GARDENERS ARRESTED

The Molson's building itself is owned by Fercan Developments, which is
controlled by a man named Vince DeRosa and managed by his brother,
Robert DeRosa.

Police have been unable to establish any ties between the DeRosa
brothers and the grow operation.

However, there is a non-communication order between DiCicco and the
DeRosas.

Police won't say what tipped them off to the operation. About 150
police officers swarmed the plant in the dead of night last Jan. 10.

Eight other so-called gardeners were also arrested at the site and
their cases are expected to be dealt with next Monday, when DiCicco
will be sentenced.

"There is no doubt that this is a part of a sophisticated organized
crime operation that stretches out of the country," said lead
investigator Det. Sgt. James Ciotka.

He said police have not been able to find the brains behind the
operation. "The investigation is still continuing full force," he said.