Pubdate: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2004 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Florence Loyie, The Edmonton Journal Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) TOWN OF HANNA AT HUB OF METH BUST EDMONTON - An Alberta man was one of a dozen people charged in a Canada-wide raid of an alleged drug distribution network that was producing methamphetamine. On Wednesday, 250 police officers raided 34 homes and businesses across the country, seizing an undisclosed amount of cash, firearms and more than 600 kilograms of ephedrine, one of the main ingredients used to manufacture crystal methamphetamine. Ten men and two women have been charged in connection with the raids. Alberta RCMP raided an automotive restoration business in Hanna where they seized two 25-kilogram bags of ephedrine and 13 containers that would have each held 25 kilograms of the same product, said Cpl. Wayne Oakes, spokesman for K-Division, Alberta's RCMP headquarters. Aubrey Bruneau, 44, of Hanna, was arrested in Manitoba on four outstanding warrants, including two counts of conspiracy to produce methamphetamine and two counts of exporting a controlled substance: methamphetamine. Hanna is located about 310 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. The raids were the culmination of a massive undercover investigation dubbed Operation Diversion which included Canada Border Services Agency, U.S. Customs, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and police across Canada. Manitoba RCMP said ephedrine was being shipped from a business in Thunder Bay, Ont., to Winnipeg; Lac du Bonnet, Man., and Hanna. The product was then redistributed to Vancouver; Buffalo, N.Y., and Sacramento, Calif. Ephedrine is used in over-the-counter cold medicines and decongestants. There is no Canadian manufacturer of the chemical. The ephedrine seized in Hanna was apparently manufactured in India, Oakes said. "One of the reasons we brought the containers before the media is to help heighten the awareness of what this looks like. If you are seeing this type of product, whether it is in a large urban centre or a smaller rural community, it should be sending off an alarm bell and there is no harm in contacting police," Oakes told a news conference. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek