PLANT HOUSED POT FOR A YEAR

Barrie's former Molson brewery has been sprouting illegal
weed for at least a year, becoming what police say is Canada' s
largest indoor marijuana-growing operation.

The Huronia Combined Forces Drug Unit, headed by provincial police
with the participation of police officers from Barrie, South Simcoe
and Midland, somehow caught wind of the operation.

About 50 Barrie police officers were initially involved in the
overnight raid Friday, but, upon discovery of the enormity of the
operation, they realized they had to double their numbers.

During a press conference Monday, police said 30,000 marijuana plants,
which could haul in $30 million if sold on the streets, were discovered.

Police were initially concerned that organized crime is involved.
Organized crime is often involved in large setups due to the cost of
equipment, they say.

The investigation, in its early stages, hasn't determined what, if
any, organization was behind the Barrie operation.

Police say they worried about their own security.

They feared the place could be booby-trapped somehow to turn away the
curious.

So far they've come across none, but they expect their investigation
within the plant could continue for several weeks.

In all, nine people were arrested on the premises. One hid in the old
beer store for nearly 12 hours before police went in the heated
outbuilding and found him.

Police figure the technology used allows growers to produce three or
four crops in a year, yielding hundreds of millions of dollars in return.

Huge vats, once used for commercial beer production, were converted
into hydroponic greenhouses.

The vats, about 40 in all, each 100 feet long and roughly 16 to 20
feet wide, were accessed by portholes at the side. Each contained
about 500 plants.

The conversion from beer to pot production required wiring for each
vat, along with water lines for automatic irrigation, ventilation
hoses and timers for lighting.

"Each tank is a little greenhouse," said Barrie police Insp. Jim
Farrell. "I'd estimate (it would cost) $3 to $5 million just to start
it."

Other rooms in the windowless building were also being used in the
"sophisticated" pot-growing operation.

Another area was equipped with cots, fridges and other conveniences
which could accommodate up to 50 in a dormitory-like setting, which
police say was to support 24-hour operation.

In all, police figure the illicit grow operation took up 60,000 square
feet, or one-sixth of the gated plant's 375,00 square feet of space.

They suspect another, much smaller operation in the back of the old
Fuda's store on Highway 11, is connected.

News of the multimillion-dollar drug operation right alongside Highway
400 came as a shock to most people.

George Todd, president of Barrie Hydro, said there was no indication
anything unusual was going on inside. The electricity use didn' t seem
unusual and the bills were being paid.

And there's no indication if the growers were bypassing the hydro
meters, which would give them access to free power and avoid detection
by the power company.

"It's surprising," said Todd. "We'll be assisting.... with respect to
the metering operation."

Rosten Investments bought the brewery on a 10-acre site from Molson
with the intention of developing a beverage bottling company in part
of the building, creating 100 jobs. Its parent company, Fercan
Developments, did bring in two of its related businesses: Aurora
Beverage, a water bottling company, and Multi-Brand Foods, a specialty
coffee roasting operation. But those only took up a small portion of
the building.

Rosten is a privately owned Canadian company under Fercan - which
buys, develops, finances and manages real estate in the Greater
Toronto Area, Hamilton, Niagara and Montreal areas.

City officials haven't heard from the company's owner, Vince Derosa,
for about a year and have been uncertain about the activity within the
building.

He did not return repeated calls from the Examiner.

It was suspected the company had become media shy following some
publicity it deemed adverse.

It was largely believed that part of the building was to be used for
warehouse space and some of the property had been used as a temporary
new car storage site.

Nancy Tuckett, manager of Barrie's economic development office, said
she was also told it was the site of a wooden pallet manufacturing
plant and a welding shop.

"I have not spoken to Vince Derosa in probably one year," she said.
"They have generally not called back."

Use of the building as an illicit marijuana grow operation was a
disappointment, she added.

Barrie Mayor Rob Hamilton made light of the city's new fame at Monday
night's council meeting.

"By next week, we (Barrie) will be yesterday's news, so we should try
to put a positive spin on this," he said. "But even the bad guys
understand Barrie is a tremendous place to do business."

Gord Lashinger, who brokered the sale of the building for Rosten, was
shocked at the discovery of pot plants there.

"I think its surprising for everyone - that's going on right under
your nose and you don't catch wind of it," said Lashinger, who has
been through the entire building.