Pubdate: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2004 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Morgan Campbell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) SECOND ECSTASY HOUSE BUSTED IN MARKHAM Pills Found In Basement After 911 Call For Fire No Arrests In Sunday's $10 Million Drug Seizure York Region police and firefighters discovered an ecstasy operation at a home in Markham yesterday, about a kilometre from a house where chemicals and drugs worth $10 million were seized Sunday. According to York Region police, a resident on Brunswick Ave., near Kennedy Rd. and Major MacKenzie Dr. E., called 911 about 9:30 a.m. to report smoke coming from another house on the street. When firefighters arrived they found a fire in the kitchen and a man asleep in an upstairs bedroom, said Detective Don Cardwell of York police. Cardwell said the fire was unrelated to drug production. The firefighters then searched the rest of the house and found a locked storage room in the basement, police said. Firefighters asked the man to open the room, but he repeatedly refused, police said. Finally, they broke into the room and found a pill press and what Cardwell described as "a large quantity" of ecstasy pills. When the drugs were discovered, the man ran out of the house, wearing only a T-shirt, boxer shorts and flip-flops, police said. He scurried through some neighbouring yards, managing to elude police and police dogs. Police were unable to determine immediately how many pills were found, how much the drugs were worth or who owned the house. By late yesterday afternoon, they were still waiting for a warrant to search the house. In Sunday's bust, on Manhattan Dr. near 16th Ave. and McCowan Rd., police also found drugs and chemicals after fire crews responded to reports of a fire at the house. But Cardwell pointed out that the first house contained a lab that processed the raw materials of ecstasy, while the house on Brunswick Ave. held the actual ecstasy pills and the tools used to make them. "We believe it might be the next stage of the (drug-manufacturing) process," Cardwell said. "There is a possibility that the two (operations) are linked, but we're not sure yet. It'll probably take days before we have any findings." Francesca Bufardeci lives three doors away from the house where the drugs were discovered. She saw the man run from the house but says the people who live there don't socialize much. "They were never to be seen," she said. "Every once in a while I'll see an old lady (outside). Today was the first day I've ever seen the guy come out." Police described the suspect as 35-40 years old, 5-foot-7 and chubby with short black hair. No arrests have been made in Sunday's drug find. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin