SECOND MAN CLAIMS NO BASIS FOR DRUG RAID ON HOME

A second Oakville resident claims he was targeted unnecessarily by an Oct.
21 drug raid by the Halton Regional Police and the Provincial Biker
Enforcement Unit.

Kirby Armstrong, who lives on Ontario Street, said he was awakened at 7 a.m.
by the police pounding on his door.

Armstrong alleges he was confronted at gunpoint by the police, ordered to
the ground and put into a cruiser.

Armstrong, who was taken to jail, said he was released at about 1 p.m.

"I think they were just on a big witch hunt," said Armstrong of the police.
"They didn't even find a seed and they turned the house upside down."

The raids, which saw the police going into nine houses in Oakville,
Burlington, and Stoney Creek, resulted in nine arrests from seven of the
residences.

Along with Armstrong, Charles Bateman, of Lakeshore Road had his house
searched, but was let go without charges.

Nothing incriminating was found in either home, and both men allege the
information on the search warrants used to gain entrance to their homes is
not true.

"I haven't touched drugs in my whole life," said Armstrong, "and I'll be 50
on Halloween."

What connects the two men is Chris Orzec, a Burlington resident who is the
landlord of both houses.

As a result of the raids, Orzec, 43, was charged with possession of
marijuana, possession for the purposes of trafficking, producing a
controlled substance, unsafe storage of a firearm, possession of a firearm
without a license and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Orzec owned several of the houses that were raided Thursday morning.

Three of the houses, according to police, are alleged to have marijuana
growing operations in them.

Unlike Bateman, who was intent on filing a complaint, Armstrong isn't sure
he'll take that route.