Pubdate: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 Source: Quesnel Cariboo Observer (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Quesnel Cariboo Observer Contact: http://www.quesnelobserver.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1260 Author: Matt Wood Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) DRUG CHARGE NUMBERS UP FROM LAST YEAR Drug charges are up over last year, and at least one aspect to them is disturbing for local RCMP. Staff Sgt. Keith Hildebrand said 171 drug related charges were laid last year. This year, we're already at 216. But the amount of cocaine being confiscated is catching Hildebrand's attention. In two instances during the past six months, the Quesnel drug section has intercepted people with more than a kilogram of cocaine in their possession. "It's kind of uncommon for a community this size," said Hildebrand. "What I see that catches my attention is the size of the seizures." The most recent bust happened June 8 around 4 p.m. For the third time in a couple of weeks, police intercepted a vehicle shuttling drugs. Two men were arrested and found with cocaine, crystal meth, cash, cell phones and packaging material. And Hildebrand said while crack and cocaine are a problem, other drugs are gaining prominence. "We're starting to see an increase in the use of crystal meth," he said. "It's very addictive, it's easy and it's cheap. Crystal meth and cocaine are dangerous, hard on people and destroy lives." But Hildebrand said the drug section is doing good work and making some headway. He also credited proactive efforts, such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, with educating youth about the perils of drug involvement. "My read on it is we're making big inroads in our drug investigations," he said. "Our investigations are leading us to the major local dealers here. That's having an impact on the local drug scene." And that work will continue Hildebrand promised. "People are losing their businesses, families and lives," he said. "You can expect more arrests to come in the future." Bea Thatcher, the director of Quesnel Addiction Services, said she and her co-workers see a lot of cocaine and crack users "We're trying to help people find a way out of the mess they get into," she explained. "Talking to them can help them escape it." She said she hears about crystal meth use as well. "We have it, but our biggest problem is the cocaine use," she said. "We're seeing people lose their homes and their children. But I think the saddest thing is they lose their self esteem, they lose their health. Once you lose that, it's hard to get back." And Thatcher echoed recent sentiments that drug use isn't confined to certain geographical locations. "It affects everybody, all walks of life," she said. "If you dabble in it, you're taking a risk. You play with that stuff long enough, you're going to get in trouble." She said she'd love to see the community accept there's a problem and much potential. But they just get caught up in it. It's a whirlwind. All these people have families and parents and everybody goes through the disaster." "I think we really need to start talking about this cocaine problem in Quesnel as a community," Thatcher added. "The RCMP can't do it alone. Everyone's trying to do a little bit, but we have to acknowledge the problem is there." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom