Pubdate: Thu, 16 Mar 2006
Source: Voice, The (CN BC Edu)
Copyright: 2006 Langara College
Contact:  http://www.langara.bc.ca/voice/
Author: Courtney Shepard
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

ALLEGED COCAINE DUMPED

Langara College's building services manager disposed of an unknown
substance, suspected to be cocaine, rather than handing it over to
police.

The white powder, discovered in a women's washroom in the A Building
last Wednesday afternoon, was collected by security and given to Mel
Fearman, who saw this as a personal issue for the student it came
from, rather than a major security concern.

"I think it would be naive to assume that people weren't doing that
kind of thing here," he said. "If it is indeed an illicit drug, it is
someone that was using it rather than selling it."

Const. Howard Chow of the Vancouver Police Department said, "If it is
not a significant amount and there's no evidence it belongs to
someone--just dispose of it."

"Officially, it's a judgment call, unofficially--flush it," Chow
said.

He said if there is no chance of a suspect it is a question of
priorities.

"We don't want to send a two person patrol when people are being
stabbed and murdered."

Fearman agreed.

"It's not of too much interest to the police because there is no
chance of a suspect, and it's a very miniscule amount," he said,
adding, "If it was packaged and the obvious intent was to distribute,
we would give it right to the police." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake