DOPE TRIGGERS GANG SHOOTOUT

21-Year-Old Dies Over Pot Farms 'Bomb'

A deadly shootout between two Asian gangs outside a Scarborough grow
operation is proof, police say, of the danger to the public in a blossoming
illegal pot market. "It's a bomb waiting to go off," said Toronto
Staff-Insp. Gary Ellis, who warned of the urban pot farms that invite gang
activity into residential areas.

The recent gunplay sent stray bullets ripping through the home of an elderly
couple on Wellpark Blvd. during a burst of shooting at 7 a.m. Sunday.

The victim, who is not being identified by police because family have not
been told of his death, has only been in Canada three years.

The man, 21, from China, was here on a student visa but was not registered
at the school he indicated he attended and had no family in the country.

"His future here was tied to organized crime," Ellis said.

Ellis said eight gang members showed up to defend their cash crop after a
homemade alarm alerted them someone was breaking into the home.

They were met by five members of a rival gang who were looking to rip off
the operation when gunfire erupted on the normally quiet street.

"One pull of the trigger and two were shot and more bullets hit a
neighbouring house," Ellis said of the powerful weaponry involved.

Ellis said there easily could have innocent victims if any neighbours came
out to confront the thieves or got caught in the crossfire.

He said a second man was wounded in the shootout.

Both men were driven to hospital by associates. However, police have been
able to gather little from the uncooperative eyewitness Ellis also called a
gang member.

"They are more afraid of each other than they are of facing the justice
system," Ellis said of the "wall of silence" the gang insider threw up at
police.

Police found enough firearms, machetes and clubs in the home to outfit a
small army, Ellis said.

It is the second shooting tied to a pot operation in the city this month.

Ellis said lax possession laws are spurring a greater demand for the weed,
creating an underground economy where criminals can make a fortune.

"We end up with a cycle of violence with people getting killed," Ellis said.
"This is a serious crime that is going to impact on the community.