Pubdate: Tue, 21 Jun 2005
Source: Daily News, The (CN NS)
Copyright: 2005 The Daily News
Contact:  http://www.hfxnews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/179
Author: Andrea MacDonald

DIAL-A-DOPE

HALIFAX - Sixteen people were arrested yesterday, accused of running 
a drug-delivery ring by phone. Dial-A-Dope, police say, involved 
dealers taking phone orders for crack or other drugs and taking them 
right to the callers' doors.

At about 6 a.m. yesterday, RCMP and Halifax Regional Police raided 10 
homes around metro, seizing 11UKP2 pounds of crack cocaine and 
cocaine, and unspecified amounts of magic mushrooms and club-drug ecstasy.

They also seized vehicles and about $30,000 in cash.

The investigation began 14 months ago, and ramped up over the last five.

"Any bust of this magnitude will certainly have an effect on the 
street-level drug trade," Supt. Fred Sanford of Halifax Regional 
Police told a news conference at RCMP headquarters in Halifax yesterday.

"This is a significant number of people, and hopefully it will make a 
big difference."

Police said they weren't sure how much the rest of the drugs are 
worth. They also couldn't say how many clients Dial-A-Dope had. They 
did say the operators received and filled hundreds of orders per week.

Both forces said they had to keep a number of details under wraps so 
as not to jeopardize the investigation.

"You will probably see that there was a leader or leaders of this 
particular group," said RCMP Sgt. Rick Chadwick. "An organized crime 
group always has a leader or leaders."

The 16 people arrested face a range of charges, from possessing 
property obtained by proceeds of crime to trafficking cocaine and 
ecstasy. Almost all are from the Halifax area, though one is from Toronto.

One of the accused, Richard Michael Bonin of Timberlea, was sentenced 
to three years in jail back in 1992 for possessing cocaine valued at $21,000.

Stephen Allan Jennett, another of the accused, has two convictions 
for trafficking coke.

Most of the 16 were arraigned in Halifax provincial court late 
yesterday afternoon. Six were remanded until this morning, and the 
rest were released.

Police say more arrests are likely.
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