A bankrupt flooring store in St. Catharines, Ontario, belonging to an alleged drug dealer was damaged early Monday morning in a fire authorities have labeled "suspicious," according to the St. Catharines Standard.
The store, involvement in a multinational drug ring with annual revenue of about $1.9 billion. Frank Alessio was arrested along with his brother Angelo Alessio, who works as an installer at Artwood. On Nov. 2 Artwood filed for receivership and is now under the control of trustee MSI Spergel Inc., located in Toronto. "We are treating it as suspicious," the Niagara Regional Police's (NRP) Constable Derek Watson told the St. Catharines Standard about the fire. Both Alessios remain in the custody of the NRP on charges of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to traffic cocaine.
Artwood is located at 443 Eastchester Ave. in St. Catharines. The damage caused by the fire could be as high as $1 million, according to a preliminary estimate. No one was injured in the fire.
During what they dubbed "Project Ink," police raided Artwood in February and confiscated cocaine worth $30 million, making it the region's largest drug bust ever. Then on Nov. 1, during " Project Ink 2," police arrested more people allegedly involved in the drug trafficking operation and said that the Alessios had actually been involved in an international drug ring with annual revenue in the billions.
