POT EMPIRE FALLS IN GTA

Realtors Branded Masterminds

Two real estate agents are accused of being the masterminds behind a
$35-million hydroponic marijuana kingdom centred in York Region but
stretching through 56 homes across the GTA, police said yesterday.

"At every grow house we try and follow up with all the documentation we
can," York Region police Insp. Denis Mulholland said of how cops allegedly
cracked the case.

"We found the same real estate agents were coming up in numerous
investigations, not only in York, but in Peel, Halton, Durham," he alleged.

Phu Nhi "John" Trac, 39, of North York, and Sau San "Jennifer" Wu, 37, of
Scarborough, were arrested Thursday along with 14 other people, after a
six-month investigation.

Trac worked for Living Realty in Markham and Wu for Remax Realty in Markham
and Sutton Group in Richmond Hill.

Police say those firms were in the dark about any illegal activities and
cooperated fully.

Cops alleged the two realtors faked lease deals for dozens of homes,
creating bogus tenants, then hiring dope farmers to bypass the hydro meters
and grow acres and acres of hydroponic marijuana.

The raids turned up 35,518 plants worth $35.5 million, four Taser stun
guns, $105,000 US cash, $176,000 in Canadian money and a Canadian bank
draft worth $135,000.

Six houses, two cars and a whopping $950,000 in bank accounts have been
seized under proceeds-of-crime legislation.

Mulholland said the grow houses stole an estimated $1 million worth of
power a year, and that damage was extensive to the homes.

The investigation involved cops from across the GTA, as well as the RCMP
and OPP.