Pubdate: Fri, 16 Feb 2007
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Jack Keating, The Province

58 COLLARED IN COCAINE CRACKDOWN

70 Charges Laid In Raids On Street-Level 'Users And Abusers' And
Alleged Dealers

Business owners in Whalley applauded the police yesterday for scooping
up the scum selling crack cocaine on the streets.

"It's very good," said Alan Tan, owner of Annie's Beauty
Salon.

"It's a bit better now. There were a lot of guys selling drugs all
over this area and over at the corner there at 108th and King George.

"Before, there were prostitutes. Now they're gone and then there were
drug dealers and now they're gone. It's good. There's a lot of
improvement now. Business will improve once these people are gone."

The Surrey RCMP undercover operation targeted street-level
crack-cocaine dealers.

The 10-day operation led to more than 70 charges against 58 alleged
drug dealers.

Police began making arrests Tuesday and had 38 suspects in custody
yesterday. They are looking for another 20 suspects who have gone
underground.

Magda Zajaczkowski, whose family owns the Krakus European Deli, said
business people in the area hope the cleanup continues.

"It's been extremely bad," said Zajaczkowski.

"People from Vancouver tell us it's as bad as East Hastings Street.
It's not just the drug dealers. It's the people who are using the
drugs. They're everywhere. Clean it up and move them out of here. Do
something.

"It's getting a bit better, but it could get a lot better. It's still
not perfect."

Said Mohammad Nasir, who works at a King George grocery store: "It's
better now. It was very, very bad before and I had a lot of trouble
with these people fighting in the street causing trouble."

The undercover officers did the drug buys from Jan. 30 to Feb.
8.

The amounts purchased ranged from $20 to $40. For $20, a buyer gets
one-fifth of a gram and two-fifths costs $40.

"The first day we were able to arrest 25," said Surrey RCMP Cpl. Roger
Morrow.

"A lot of them are users and abusers."

The Surrey courthouse turned over a court room, judge, Crown and
defence lawyers to deal with the accused.

"As a number of the suspects are repeat offenders, some with extensive
criminal records, applications are being made to have them held in
custody.

"About 18 of those arrested have substantial criminal records and we
hope to have at least those held in custody."

The neighbourhood, said Morrow, "is sort of like the Downtown
Eastside. I mean, you go out and you can buy whatever drugs you like.
But these ones, as it turned out, were pretty much exclusively crack
cocaine/rock cocaine."

Police promise to continue the crackdown and said it will spread to
other parts of Surrey.

"This is now the culmination of the team's first project," said
Morrow.

"This is the first of a series that will take place throughout the
year. The team's mandate is to target open-air trafficking,
residential crack shacks and dial-a-dope operations.

"This is part of the strategy that our office is taking for taking
down prolific offenders.

"We're going to be going after the dial-a-dopers, and some of the
crack shacks. And more street level drug dealing as well. And if they
migrate to other areas of the city we're going to follow them."

Morrow said police are receiving positive feedback.

"We had a number of businesses call our district office and thank some
of our members for their efforts," he said.

"I mean, when you think of drugs, typically when you hear it in the
media, they think of the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver, and our
equivalent is Whalley.

"And certainly it's migrated to other locations as
well."
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MAP posted-by: Derek