The Toronto police drug squad have broken up a $3-million marijuana grow operation after raiding four homes in Scarborough.

Police seized a large quantity of marijuana plus a stash of ecstasy pills worth up to $16,000, said Staff Insp. Don Campbell.

Thirteen people face charges related to producing and trafficking marijuana. Six of the suspects live in Toronto, one lives in Markham and another in Kitchener. Five suspects, including one female, are of no fixed address.

Campbell told reporters Monday that police have been working in partnership with the RCMP Criminal Organization Marijuana Enforcement Team (COMET) since September, 2007.

Together they investigated the actions of a group of people they allege produced and distributed marijuana to the United States. Distributors get more money selling the drugs in the United States than they do in Canada, said Campbell, which is what makes the American market such a big draw.

During the raids, police seized:

  • 300 pounds of dried marijuana with a street value exceeding $800,000
  • 2,000 marijuana plants valued at $2 million
  • 830 ecstasy pills worth between $8,000-$16,000
  • $32,000 in Canadian currency
  • $21 million in Vietnamese (Dong) currency (approx. C$1,200)

Campbell said the group was well-organized and that they altered the houses to conceal the operation from outsiders.

One house was designed with a hidden bunker, which stashed the drugs. There were also holes drilled through concrete floors, designed to bypass hydro.

"It was dangerous for anybody walking on that property," Campbell said. "These people were very much organized and are willing to put anybody in danger to sell their product."

He said the house would need extensive repairs before it could be sold.

"Who is going to take possession of that house now? Thousands and thousands of dollars are needed to put that house back in operation and even then, is it still safe?"

This is the third major drug bust in the last month for Toronto police. Nearly 50 people from the Toronto area were arrested for trafficking a wide variety of drugs. On Oct. 19, police took apart a multi-million dollar ecstasy lab.

Campbell said 220 grow-ops have been found so far this year.

"That's almost one every working day," he said.

Most of them have been found northwest of the city and in the Scarborough area, he said.