Pubdate: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN) Copyright: 2011 The StarPhoenix Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400 Author: Barb Pacholik, Saskatchewan News Network; Regina Leader-Post Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) HOUSES SEIZED IN BUST TO BE SOLD BY PROVINCE Six suburban Regina and area houses that were once part of a potentially multimillion-dollar marijuana business will soon be growing the federal government's coffers. While most of the former owners now reside behind bars for their role in the illegal enterprise, their properties were forfeited Wednesday to the Crown as proceeds of crime. Crown prosecutor Craig Neely said the houses will be sold, any outstanding debts for mortgages, maintenance, taxes or utilities will be paid and the remaining money will go to the federal government. "There is a very significant value," he told reporters, adding the houses were worth between $139,000 and $400,000 each when they were purchased about five years ago. The former owners consented to the forfeiture of all but one of the houses. Nhut Minh Truong, currently serving a four-year prison term in Prince Albert, argued Wednesday he should get to keep at least some of his investment. Speaking by telephone and with the help of an interpreter, Truong told Court of Queen's Bench Justice Janet McMurtry he wants his $25,000 down payment on the house at 67 Sangster Blvd., where 210 marijuana plants and 127 clippings to use for seedlings were found. Truong said when he bought the $139,000 house in 2005, he never intended it to be used for a grow op and needs the money to support his family. However, Neely noted evidence during last year's trial for Truong and three others showed the unfurnished house was part of a large-scale operation expected to produce three crops a year. The revenue potential from that house alone was $283,000. A hole had been bored into the foundation to tap into the incoming power line and bypass the metering system. In addition, walls were cut and piping installed for a ventilation system and security cameras installed inside and out. Neely noted the electrical modifications as well as the drug operation put neighbouring homes at risk because of the potential for fire or violence. McMurtry agreed with the Crown, concluding the house "was part of a significant marijuana grow operation" and should be forfeited. With agreement by the Crown and defence, she also consented to the forfeiture of properties at 12 Kennedy Rd., a $400,000 White City home where some of those in the enterprise resided; 106 Hawkes Bay and 2 Rink Ave. in Regina and 22 Canterwood Trail near White City which housed grow ops; and 3475 Olive Grove where preparations were being made for a grow op. Wednesday's forfeitures and the sentencing of the last of those involved marks the end of a long-running case that began in February 2006 with a joint RCMP-Regina police investigation dubbed "Project Felwort." Sparked by a suspicious resident, the investigation uncovered a trail of fake names, cover businesses -including the aptly named "Rich Investments Holding Corp." -and money-laundering schemes that led from the drug houses in Regina and area to a business in B.C. The investigation culminated in a search of 12 properties in November 2006 that discovered a total of 2,346 living pot plants but evidence of an operation that carried a minimum revenue potential of $2.4 million annually. Last fall, Nhut Truong's brother Nghiep Minh Truong, 40, and Nghiep's spouse Hon Thi Nguyen, 29, were sentenced to six-year prison terms. Their sister-in-law Barbara Tam Truong, 42, received a three-year prison sentence. All had been found guilty of production and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, and all but Barbara Truong were also convicted of possession of proceeds of crime. On Wednesday, Phuc Truong -husband of Barbara and brother to Nghiep and Nhut -pleaded guilty to laundering $150,000 obtained through the drug operation between September 2004 and February 2007. Speaking through an interpreter, the 45-year-old Surrey, B.C., man admitted that it was illegal money he "helped to clean." Crown prosecutor Andrea Newsham told the court an accountant determined drug money that flowed through B.C. businesses in which Phuc had a part was used to help fund the purchase of drug houses. At the request of the Crown and Phuc, handling his own defence, McMurtry imposed an 18-month conditional sentence served in the community, including six months of electronically monitored house arrest. While houses at 2238 Elderkin Dr. and on a Kronau-area acreage also had grow-ops, McMurtry found last year there was no evidence to show these accused had control over them. Last year, Hung Van Nguyen, 30, and Amy Thi Le, 29, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Kronau grow-op. Nguyen received a 33-month prison term, while his spouse got a two-year conditional sentence to be served in the community. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom