Pubdate: Thu, 04 Sep 2003 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 Calgary Herald Contact: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Eva Ferguson, Calgary Herald Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hallucinogens.htm (Hallucinogens) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) POLICE BEEF UP DRUG TEAM AFTER BUST Lethbridge police are working to expand their special operations unit in the wake of a huge drug bust resulting from a six-month undercover operation that targeted street-level drug dealers. Nineteen people have been charged over the past 22 weeks with a total of 65 offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Fourteen have been arrested and will appear in court over the next few weeks. Five are being sought with warrants for their arrests. Police seized methamphetamine, marijuana, psilocybin (mushrooms) and hashish as well as a 1998 Chevy Cavalier allegedly used to deliver drugs. About half of those arrested were allegedly what police call "dial-a-dopers" in which cellphones were used to make drug deals and then passed on from dealer to dealer to maintain a 24-hour operation. Nearly $20,000 worth of illicit drugs were seized. Sgt. Jamie Fisher confirmed the undercover operation is just one of several recent drug busts in the community that has forced Lethbridge police to increase resources dealing with that type of crime. The special operation unit of the Lethbridge Police Service's organized crime section will be expanding this month, hiring and training three additional constables, bringing the staff total to five working under one sergeant by October. "This operation has revealed a trend," Fisher said Wednesday. "It has put a strain on our resources and we have to look at enhancing them." Fisher, along with Lethbridge Mayor Bob Tarleck, believes drug crime is on the rise in smaller cities like Lethbridge due to wide-ranging efforts to crack down on drug crime in bigger centres. This summer, Solicitor General Heather Forsyth said Alberta will spend $3.5 million to create a task force to tackle organized crime. The unit is made up of 32 officers from Calgary and Edmonton. Fisher said criminals are quick to catch on to that type of pressure. "These guys aren't stupid. They're aware of the pressure in big cities and they will spill out." Tarleck adds that economic and population growth are natural factors in increased organized crime. But officials are also concerned about the development of a major trade corrider called the Canamex Highway, which runs all the way from Mexico, up through the western United States, through the Coutts border crossing and up to Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton. Such a direct north-south route, which already exists along many major highways including Highway 2 through Lethbridge and Calgary, could bring more drug traffickers into the community. With the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Community College, Tarleck said, "we have 14,000 post-secondary students here. . . . There's no question that can be a real enticement to drug dealers." Since last year's arrival of new police Chief John Middleton-Hope, who came to Lethbridge from the Calgary Police Service, a comprehensive review of the department has shown a strain on human resources within the organized crime division, particularly since undercover investigations are so time-intensive, requiring a 24-hour commitment by officers. "It's a huge commitment, where officers have to live and breathe the drug trade . . . they have to befriend and then betray," Fisher said. Of those arrested in connection with the drug bust, 14 were from the Lethbridge area. One is underage, a 16-year-old boy who faces three counts of trafficking. Arrest warrants have been issued for Calgary residents Maurizio Gaudio, 38, and Francisco Iulietto, 33, as well as three Lethbridge residents. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl