Pubdate: Sat, 21 Aug 2004
Source: Chronicle-Journal, The (CN ON)
Pubdate: August 21, 2004
Contact:  http://www.chroniclejournal.com/
Address: 75 South Cumberland St., Thunder Bay, ON P7B 1A3
Fax: (807)345-3582
Copyright: 2004 The Chronicle-Journal
Author:  Julio Gomes

DRUG ARRESTS A SURPRISE TO CLE

A sweep by tri-force drug unit officers that nabbed 50 people at the recent 
CLE fair is a surprise to Marlene Busniuk. But the woman who heads the 
organizing committee promises the drug issue will be addressed.

"I am very (surprised)," Busniuk said when informed yesterday of the 
seizures and charges. "I never heard a thing about it.

"We know we had a few problems with kids gathering, and we handled that 
quite nicely. But I never heard a thing about the (drug) charges," she said.

"It would be of great concern to me."

On Thursday, the tri-force drug unit announced that officers had attended 
the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds during the annual summer fair Aug. 
12-14. As a result, officers seized 95 grams of marijuana, a gram of hash 
oil and Percocet pills as well as $510 in currency.

Of the 50 people they spoke to, 15 were charged. The most significant 
charges are of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of 
trafficking, laid against three young males, and a charge of trafficking 
laid against a 40-year-old man.

Eleven other people were charged with possession of a controlled substance.

All the others were young offenders ranging in age from 13 to 17. They were 
dealt with according to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which includes 
notifying their parents, Det. Staff Sgt. Brian Brattengeier said.

Four plainclothes officers were assigned to work the fair, the drug unit 
commander said.

"This is by far the greatest number of seizures that have been made there 
in the three years I've been here," Brattengeier said in an interview.

He said the drug unit makes it a part of their business to attend events 
that attract large crowds.

"We go to a lot of events such as (the CLE fair), so that little kids don't 
end up around people smoking dope," he explained.

The tri-force drug unit consists of officers with Thunder Bay Police, the 
OPP and the RCMP.

The Kenora joint forces unit comprises the Kenora, Atikokan and Dryden 
police services.

Busniuk said about 62,000 people took in the 4 1/2-day event.

Thunder Bay Police officers received about five dozen calls to the CLE area 
during the fair.

The calls included 13 regarding assault or violence, 12 regarding illicit 
drugs and six related to liquor.

Busniuk said the CLE committee hired a private company to provide security 
during the fair.

"I know we had a lot more (security) this year than last year," she said, 
noting the number of incidents they responded to were down from 2003.

As for the work by the drug unit, Busniuk said she would raise the matter 
at a committee meeting Tuesday.

"Of course we'll do something about it," she said.
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