DRUG WAR SPILLS ONTO EAST-END STREETS

One 'Soldier' Killed During Gun Melee Outside Marijuana Grow Operation

Toronto could become like Chicago in the 1920s with organized gangs
shooting up the streets if "lax legislation" continues to allow illegal
marijuana grow operations to escalate, Toronto police say.

Staff Inspector Gary Ellis made the comments after revealing that a weekend
murder was the result of a gunfight between competing gangs in a sleepy
Scarborough neighbourhood.

Ellis, unit commander of the homicide squad, told a news conference this
morning that the battle, "with enough weapons to have a war," was behind
the city's 44th homicide of the year on Sunday morning.

According to police, five robbers entered the premises of the marijuana
grow operation at Wellpark Blvd. in Scarborough last Sunday. The gang
behind the grow operation was alerted to their presence by an alarm. When
the second group arrived on the scene to protect their illicit enterprise,
a raging gunbattle ensued.

A 22-year-old Chinese man protecting the grow house was shot and killed in
a hail of gunfire at 7 a.m.

Another victim, a 21-year-old male, was shot a number of times, but is
expected to survive. He is in Scarborough Grace Hospital.

During the shootout, Ellis said there was so much gunfire that he is
surprised no one else was killed.

"Bullets penetrated a wall across the street," he said, and just missed
hitting the occupants.

There are two gangs at work - one which manages the lucrative grow
operations out of homes and another trying to rob them - Ellis told reporters.

In another case last week, $2.5 million in marijuana plants was discovered
in an industrial unit on Finch Ave. E.

"This is an emerging trend we have to be aware of," Ellis said.

During that seizure, police gathered 2,356 mature marijuana plants. Four
males were arrested.

In the shooting in Scarborough on Sunday, there were 13 combatants, Ellis said.

"There were enough weapons to arm an army," said Ellis, who added that
these people are "soldiers." The victim didn't have any family in Canada
and he had no known job or place of residence.

The arsenal included firearms, machetes, clubs and a whole range of weapons.

Ellis warned people to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour or
activity around houses.

In the grow operations, the home's electrical circuits are bypassed and in
some cases houses have burned down because of faulty wiring, Ellis said.

"There is a risk of fire and explosions," Ellis said.

"We're heading for Chicago in the 1920s," he said, "where they're shooting
up the neighbourhood."

Ellis hopes legislators do something to toughen up the laws because Canada
is becoming a haven for these operations, he said.

"Canada is known as a soft country on cannabis-type drugs," he said.

The drugs from these operations are often shipped out internationally and
millions of dollars are at stake, Ellis said.