Search warrant yields huge pot crop

PICKERING -- Charges have been laid against a Toronto man following the dismantling of a large marijuana grow operation in a Pickering residence.

Officers with Durham's Drug Enforcement Unit found more than 900 plants growing in a Valley Farm Road residence when they executed a search warrant Wednesday, police said. A man found on the property was arrested.

Cops seized drugs valued at $900,000 and removed an estimated $50,000 worth of growing equipment, police said. They also uncovered evidence that a hydro bypass had been installed.

Samuel Van Nguyen, 38, of Kennebel Crescent in Toronto, is charged with production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking and theft of a telecommunication device.