At least two people were arrested shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday in an Etobicoke raid that swept up Sandro Lisi, a man who was investigated for his attempts to retrieve a video that appears to show Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.

Also arrested was a man eyewitnesses said was the owner of Richview Cleaners, a small dry-cleaning shop at the popular Richview Plaza at Eglinton Ave. W. and Wincott Dr.

The two men were identified Wednesday morning in a Toronto police statement released on behalf of homicide squad Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux, who has been leading a police investigation into attempts by Ford associates to get the video.

Lisi, 35, of Toronto is charged with marijuana trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime, possession of marijuana and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Jamshid Bahrami, 47, also of Toronto, is charged with possession of cocaine, three counts of trafficking in marijuana and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Both men were scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Wednesday morning, police said.

Amin Assoudi, a special assistant in Ford’s office, said the mayor would scrum at 12:45 p.m. at the Esso station at Scarlett Rd. and Edenbridge Dr. in Etobicoke.

Following a budget committee meeting at city hall Councillor Doug Ford was asked about Lisi’s arrest and his connections to the mayor.

“I have no comment, I’ve never met this person. I don’t know him, never talked to him in my life, so I can’t comment.”

A Star investigation recently revealed that Lisi has told three associates he has supplied drugs to the mayor. The Star has not verified Lisi’s claim and Ford did not respond to requests for comment at the time.

According to two eyewitnesses, unmarked cruisers and other police vehicles swept into the plaza and boxed in Lisi, who had just arrived in his black Range Rover. Detectives took Lisi out of the vehicle and handcuffed him.

Other officers rushed into the cleaners and brought out a man described by witnesses as the owner.

That man, who building neighbours say has struggled with substance abuse issues, was taken away by police while other detectives searched the cleaners.

Lisi’s Range Rover, which is owned by a former drug client who is now clean, was searched and then taken away by tow truck to a local police garage.

The owner of the Range Rover was concerned Tuesday that to get the vehicle back he would have to pay high police impound fees.

Ford left his house in Etobicoke at 10:25 a.m. Wednesday without speaking to reporters.

Ford returned about an hour later and said a statement would be released later.

Lights had flicked on at the mayor’s house in Etobicoke shortly before 9 a.m. and a young man knocked at the door around 9:20 a.m. to deliver dry-cleaning. He was let in by a side entrance, carrying what appeared to be one black suit.

Ford's public position on the video was summed up in a quote he gave at a news conference one week after the story broke. "I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist, " Ford told reporters.

However, sources have told the Star that at a meeting the morning that news of the video broke, Ford cited "our contacts" and told close confidants not to worry because he knew where the video was, and provided two apartment addresses in the Dixon Rd. complex.

Sam Jung, owner of the Richview convenience store next door to the dry cleaning shop, spent much of Wednesday morning reviewing his store’s security video from the night before with police.

Jung said Bahrami was suffering health problems and may have smoked marijuana to help manage pain.

“He ha a lot of pain in his body,” said Jung, who described his business neighbour as a “nice guy.”

Judy Plant, owner of the Potty Planter and Friends Florist in Richview Plaza, described Bahrami as “quiet” and “pleasant” man who “never caused any trouble.”

“We always knew him as Jay from the Cleaners,” Plant said. “He was always here but never had swarms of people hanging around.”

Three doors down from the Bahrami’s dry cleaning store is the Richview Foot Care Clinic owned by Michael Acosta and his wife, Analia.

Acosta said Bahrami worked long hours and would often stay at the dry cleaners overnight.

“He definitely had long hours but we just figured it was part of the business plan,” Acosta said.

When asked if he had any suspicions about illegal activity at the dry cleaners, Acosta said there were “rumours all the time, but I never listen or abide by that.”

Lisi’s lawyer, Domenic Basile, previously told the Star he knew his client was under investigation for matters connected to trying to retrieve the video.

“I had no issues with this fellow,” he said, but added that he was not pleased that alleged illegal activity may have been going on on the plaza.

A shopkeeper at Rich Jewellers, also next door to the dry cleaners, said Bahrami was recently divorced and had “lost everything.” The shopkeeper, who declined to give his name, said he had not noticed any suspicious behaviour around the dry cleaners.

Councillor Gary Crawford, a Ford ally participating in the mayor’s official trip to Texas, for which Ford is scheduled to leave on Wednesday, said he doesn’t know much about Lisi’s relationship but he said he doesn’t think the arrest will “impact anything at all down in Austin,” and he said Lisi was “just a part-time driver, as I understand.”

“The guy was just driving him around,” he said early Wednesday. “So, I mean, if that’s all he was doing, that’s fine. But we’ll have to see what these charges are, what the extent of it is.”

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Councillor James Pasternak, a centrist, called the news “extremely disturbing.”

“Someone who is walking the corridors of power in the country's largest city, the chief magistrate's office, should not be facing criminal charges," Pasternak said.

“We have that burden of office, and we have that responsibility to carry a high level of integrity. And I'm not passing judgment on anyone in this case, but clearly, this person we're talking about does not meet that threshold,” he said.

He also drove the mayor to and from the Garrison Ball, an event where Ford was asked to leave because he appeared impaired.

Lisi was never a member of Ford's official staff and was never paid by the city.

Police maintained a strong presence at Richview Plaza and at the Lisi home, just east of the Dixon condominium towers that were the site of the June Project Traveller guns and gangs raids.

Six plainclothes detectives searched the Richview Cleaners store for an hour shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday.

After waiting six hours for a warrant to arrive officers entered the store at 2:40 a.m. and went through cleaning bags, storage bins and even searched a potted plant.

Just over an hour after they entered — using keys taken from the owner when he was arrested — the detectives emerged carrying one black garbage bag and a large plastic storage bin, previously empty and now carried as if it was not much heavier than when it arrived.

Detectives searched in the back among clothing racks of pressed dresses and pants and up front behind the spare plywood counter.

Detectives on the scene would not say what, if anything, they found.

Just down the street from Lisi’s home, a uniformed officer with a police dog waited in a van. Detectives at both scenes said they were not allowed to discuss the night’s raids or any plan for future raids.

A recent Star investigation revealed that a special squad of Toronto police was investigating Lisi and Ford associate David Price on allegations they tried to retrieve the crack cocaine video after the Star broke news of its existence.

MORE IN THESTAR.COM:

Man who showed Rob Ford crack video caught up in police raids

Man who tried to sell video appears in court

Rob Ford crack scandal: A timeline

Lisi has a lengthy record of interaction with police including convictions for threatening and assaulting women. He has acted as an occasional driver and security guard for the mayor, showing up the morning the crack video scandal broke and shadowing the mayor as reporters sought comment.

He also drove the mayor to and from the Garrison Ball, an event where Ford was asked to leave because he appeared impaired.

Residents of the area and Richview Plaza tenants have told the Star they have had concerns about drug dealing in the area in the past.

During the Star investigation Lisi was spotted by reporters near the cleaners numerous times.

Lisi’s lawyer, Domenic Basile, previously told the Star he knew his client was under investigation for matters connected to trying to retrieve the video.

Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said Tuesday night: “I am not in a position to confirm anything.”

Two Star reporters who viewed the video have described an obviously impaired Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine and making homophobic and racist remarks in response to goading questions from a man not seen in the video.

In one attempt to retrieve the video, soon after news of its existence broke on May 16, Lisi paid visits to the Etobicoke house where a group of men from the Dixon Rd. community involved in the crack cocaine trade were known to hang out. The bungalow is home to Fabio and Elena Basso, both friends of Ford.

“Where are the guys who made the video, Fab?” Lisi said, according to a witness who was present. “You know where they are.”