Pubdate: Thu, 13 Feb 2003
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Canada Web)
Copyright: 2003 CBC
Contact:  http://www.cbc.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1412

STUDENTS ARRESTED IN DRUG DRAGNET

MONCTON - Undercover police officers posing as high school students have 
broken a drug ring in the Moncton area in an investigation that will result 
in four students and four adults being charged with drug-related offenses.

RCMP raided schools in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe on Thursday morning, 
and the suspects are accused of trafficking PCP, marijuana and ecstasy.

The investigation is part of a larger probe called "Operation Jingle." The 
students were arrested from Mathieu Martin in Dieppe, Moncton High School 
and Riverview High.

"We did use an undercover police officer, who acted as a student in the 
high schools, whose objective was to try and buy drugs from the students 
that were trafficking," says Codiac RCMP drug officer Constable Al Farrah.

Police say the operation doesn't signify a growing drug problems among 
students, just better cooperation between RCMP and schools.

Principal Doug Prescott say the undercover sting was just one of a number 
of options that have been considered to keep the school safe. "In ongoing 
discussions with the RCMP, we've look at a variety of issues from security 
cameras to bringing the dogs into the school for seaches to having guests 
come in and taking about things like an undercover officer."

Three of the arrested teens were students of Mathieu Martin. The school has 
had drug problems in the past, but an undercover police officer was never 
considered as a solution.

Vice-principal Robert Leblanc says he supports the idea. "If it means being 
able to secure the premises and offer our kids a chance to be in a secure 
atmosphere and also being able to do what you have to do in school, which 
is learn and behave properly, and if it's going to do that for us, then 
evidently we have to be confortable with it."

Police are calling this operation a success. And they're not ruling the use 
of more undercover officers in other high schools.

Police also expect to lay drug-related charges against five Moncton area 
men accused of trafficking in cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana. The men 
were targets of the larger drug investigation, but the arrests are 
unrelated to the schools.
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