Joint Services Drug Investigation: Project “SCARECROW”-- a success

Ottawa Police Service

For Immediate Release - August 27, 2008

At a news conference this morning, a Joint Police Operation

involving the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), the Royal

Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Ontario Provincial

Police (OPP), announced the conclusion of a 18-month drug

investigation called Project “SCARECROW”.

On Tuesday, August 26, 2008, twenty search warrants were

executed under the authority of the Controlled Drugs and

Substance Act. Eighteen of the warrants took place in the

City of Ottawa, one in the town of Alexandria and one in

the community of Akwesasne.  The search warrants were

executed in residences. Members of the OPS Tactical Unit

assisted in some of the entries.

Project “SCARECROW” effected a total of 230 charges against

persons.  The 230 charges include conspiracy to produce and

traffic controlled substances, possession of controlled

substances for the purpose of trafficking, participating in

a criminal organization and laundering proceeds of crime

(see Appendix for details).

Project “SCARECROW”, a joint effort consisting of the

Ottawa Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police and

the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, commenced in April 2007,

as an investigation into an Ottawa based Asian Organized

Crime Group involved in the production, trafficking and

distribution of large amounts of marihuana throughout the

Ottawa area.

The investigation quickly expanded when a distribution

network that imported marihuana into the United States from

Canada was identified.

In January 2008, the Drug Enforcement Administration

commenced an investigation into the importation of

marijuana from Canada through the Akwesasne Mohawk

Community. This investigation targeted the American

component of the distribution chain uncovered in Project

Scarecrow.

In the month of August 2008, the DEA dismantled the

organization, alleging that it conspired to import over 200

lbs of Canadian marihuana in a 3-month period.  As a result

of this wiretap investigation, nine persons have been

charged with drug trafficking and weapons related

offences.  The United States Department of Justice holds 3

Federal Arrest Warrants for Canadian Citizens.

As part of this investigation, locations on the Akwesasne

Mohawk community were identified as smuggling conduits and

with the assistance of the Akwesasne Mohawk Police and the

locations were investigated. The investigation resulted in

the execution of a search warrant at a residence in the

Akwesasne Mohawk Community.  The resident of this location

is currently being sought by the Drug Enforcement

Administration for his criminal activities relating to the

smuggling of marihuana.

Physical surveillance and the interception of private

communications assisted in identifying several criminal

organizations that control the flow of marihuana from its

inception, within large scale indoor marihuana grow

operations, to the final distribution of the “harvested”

product at the local, provincial, inter-provincial, and

international level.

"Project Scarecrow is an extension of the cooperative

enforcement between police officers in your community at

all levels, working together to provide a safe community, a

secure Ontario," said OPP Superintendent Frank Elbers,

Director Drug Enforcement Section, Organized Crime Bureau.

The Criminal Organizations were also involved in money

laundering operations, in which proceeds were transferred

through the United States of America, into Canada, and

Vietnam. These organizations extended across Canada, into

the United States.

“In cooperation with our partners, the RCMP will continue

identifying criminals operating at the highest levels and

seizing their criminally-derived assets,” said Royal

Canadian Mounted RCMP Inspector Tim Mackin, “A” Division

OIC Organized Crime and Border Integrity.

Investigators identified the various “cells” of the

organization and their role within the production and

distribution of the organization.  Numerous large-scale

indoor marihuana grow operations were located and

dismantled; several bulk transactions of marihuana were

intercepted as they were being trafficked through the

various compartments of the Criminal Organization.

The controlled substances seized over the course of the

Canadian investigation is in excess of 4.5 million dollars.

The Integrated Proceeds of Crime Unit and the Asset

Forfeiture Unit, seized assets directly related to the

proceeds of the organizations criminal activity valued in

excess of $ 460,000.00. This portion of the investigation

continues.

"Combating Organized Crime is something the Ottawa Police,

in conjunction with Provincial and Federal policing

partners takes very seriously,” added Ottawa Police

Service, Superintendent Tim Armour, Criminal Investigation

Services. “The success of Project Scarecrow has put a

sizeable dent at the production and distribution levels of

the drug trade in Ottawa."