BUSTS SHAKE NEIGHBOURS

Watch In Shock As Police Conduct Raids On Homes

AS A HALF-DOZEN tots played under the mindful eyes of their guardians in
the park across the street yesterday, RCMP officers seized several luxury
cars from 126 Windhurst Dr. Meanwhile, just down the road at 180 Windhurst
Dr., officers in white jumpsuits and masks carried marijuana plants and
hydroponic growing equipment out of a Barrhaven house.

Clutching their babies as they peered from their windows, porches and
sidewalks at the spectacle that was unfolding in their peaceful,
family-oriented neighbourhood, residents said they were shocked when they
woke up to find their neighbours being led away by police.

Neighbours described the occupants at 180 Windhurst as a young Asian couple
who were always friendly and who would sometimes talk to fellow neighbours.

BIZARRE GOINGS-ON

A woman who lived across the street remembered the couple dishing out
treats on Halloween and said they would always "wave hello" when they drove by.

The goings on at 126 Windhurst, however, were a little more bizarre, said
neighbours.

"You never see the same person in front of the house," said a resident who
lives across the street.

While she could never tell just how many people lived in the house, she did
notice several children returning from school or playing basketball outside.

Just last week, a man lit a bonfire on the front stoop only to put it out
when neighbours took notice, she said.

"You see the fancy cars and you don't think much and then you see them
being taken away (by police) and you put two and two together," another
neighbour said.

Slightly north of the Barrhaven busts, near Centrepointe, neighbours there
were equally surprised to witness more raids at two residences in the area.

Neighbour Maryanne Boughner said something was definitely odd about the
residents of 2 Wildbriar Way.

'Vacant' House

"When I looked at the people going in and out, I can't even tell you for
sure who lived there," she said.

Just around the corner, on 87 Pinetrail Cres., police were stacking growing
equipment into wooden crates.

A neighbour who lived across the street said the house had appeared
"vacant" in the last few weeks.

"If you know it's a criminal element across the street, it's frightening,"
said the woman.

Major Drug Busts

In the past three years, Ottawa drug busts have netted millions of dollars'
worth of drugs, drug-making equipment and the proceeds from the illegal
activity. Here are some of the more notable ones:

- Earlier this month, Ottawa police drug officers seized an estimated
$690,000 worth of marijuana plants during a raid on a marijuana grow
operation in Barrhaven.

- In February, police seized more than 1,100 marijuana plants from two
homes in separate raids in Barrhaven.

- In February 2003, police seized about eight tonnes of pseudoephedrine
from warehouses in Ottawa. The pills -- estimated to be worth $5 million --
would have been sufficient to make almost a tonne of speed.

- In January 2003, police shut down an east-end drug factory that had
enough chemicals to produce up to $20-million worth of ecstasy.

- In May 2002, Ottawa drug officers raided two Kanata homes that had been
converted into marijuana grow ops and uncovered about $900,000 worth of
marijuana.

- In September 2001, a joint forces operation involving police from Ottawa
and Gatineau and agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
netted an estimated $4.5 million in dope seizures. They include about 62 kg
of hashish, thousands of MDMA (ecstasy) pills, and 2 kg of cocaine. Gaming
equipment, vehicles, stolen property, cash and several shotguns were also
seized.