Joe Fantauzzi, Staff Writer

In October 2007, six people were ambushed, shot at and held captive at a large pot grow north of Minden, Ont., OPP said.

“I vowed last October that we would hunt down and find those involved in the Minden marijuana grow-op incident,” OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said.

The suspects ambushed and terrorized six innocent civilians who inadvertently stumbled upon a grow site while the assailants were stealing large quantities of marijuana from other criminals, Fantino alleged in May after announcing the arrest of 36 people — seven of whom are residents of Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Thornhill between the ages of 17 and 25 — on 173 charges in connection with the probe, which has been dubbed Project Pirate.

“Not only did we apprehend individuals involved in the Minden incident, we have laid numerous collateral charges against other individuals involved in various organized criminal activity.”

The probe also focused on a carjacking-shooting incident on Hwy. 401 near Belleville.

Police seized $46,830 in cash, six handguns, three long guns, seven high-end vehicles, 2,400 pounds of marijuana, 159 grams of cocaine and 2,002 ecstasy pills in connection with the investigation.

A 25-year-old Thornhill man is charged with attempted murder, robbery with a firearm, forcible confinement, conspiracy to produce a controlled substance, kidnapping, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and production of a controlled substance.

A 21-year-old Thornhill man is charged with robbery with a firearm, forcible confinement, conspiracy to produce a controlled substance, kidnapping, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and production of a controlled substance.

The arrests of a 23-year-old Peterborough man and a 22-year-old Toronto resident on various drug and gun charges were also announced Thursday.