Pubdate: Sun, 05 Mar 2006
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author:  Stuart Hunter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

HUGE BUST OF DRUG RAW MATERIALS

Vancouver police have made the largest-ever drug bust of chemicals 
used to make ecstasy and crystal meth but say their unsuccessful 
attempts at arrests have left them "finding ghosts."

What started out as a routine probe of identity theft turned into an 
investigation of a multimillion-dollar, international drug-smuggling 
ring that originated in China.

Insp. Dave Nelmes of the drug and vice section said the investigation 
began Dec. 10 when a Burnaby man received a notice of a fee increase 
for his storage locker in the 3500-block East 5th Avenue.

"He thought it was kind of strange, because he wasn't renting any 
locker," Nelmes said. The man went down to the facility and found 
someone had rented storage in his name with all his ID.

Police were called. They spotted five pallets containing 140 boxes 
marked "soy sauce" but inside they found 280 15-litre plastic jugs 
containing precursors to ecstasy and crystal meth.

Nelmes said police had a suspect but didn't have enough evidence to 
lay charges.

"Everything is done by cash or by ID stolen from someone else or 
created," he said.

"When we start to try to backtrack, you are finding ghosts -- there 
are no people. It's frustrating for us, so we are working with others."
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