Phu Nhi (John) Trac, a 46-year-old Markham real estate agent, was sentenced at Ontario Superior Court in Newmarket on Tuesday 22 December 2009 to five years in prison and fines of more than $1 million for turning 54 rented homes across the Toronto area into what was then Canada’s largest-known illegal marijuana grow operation.[1] Justice Michael Brown imposed prison terms totalling 14 years with some to run concurrently, making the actual jail time five years, and ruled Trac must serve five more years if he fails to pay the fines within two years.[1]
Trac pleaded guilty to producing and possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, money laundering, and income tax and GST evasion.[1] The appeal court later detailed a $760,000 fine in lieu of forfeiture plus further fines on the tax counts, and confirmed the scheme ran from September 2000 to December 2002 out of dozens of rented residences held under false or stolen identities.[1][2] Police seized more than 27,550 plants worth over $30 million, the biggest case of its type in the country at the time.[1][2]
The scheme
Trac rented large homes with unfinished basements from unsuspecting small landlords in affluent GTA neighbourhoods, drilling into foundations to bypass hydro meters and staffing each house with a lone grower.[1] Wiretaps showed him involved in every aspect, from advising underlings on detection to seeking customers and franchisees for the product.[1] The judge called it an organized, sophisticated criminal enterprise in which Trac’s role was substantial and essential.[1]
Charges were dropped against Trac’s wife Yvonne Le and his brother Phu Nhut (Mike) Trac.[1] His lead accomplice, Sutton Group agent Sau San (Jennifer) Wu, fled the city and remained wanted.[1] The judge declined a Crown bid for $257,627.26 in restitution to 11 homeowners, citing contentious legal issues in linking Trac directly to their losses.[1]
