Pubdate: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Kamloops Daily News Contact: http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/679 DRUG STING NABS 38 SUSPECTS A roundup of street-level drug dealers is underway after a Kamloops RCMP undercover operation targeted the drug trade in the city's red zones. Two of 38 suspects identified in Project E-Passerine faced trafficking charges in Kamloops provincial court Wednesday. Insp. Yves Lacasse said the others are expected to be in custody in the coming days. "These are very visible people on the street. We see them downtown on Victoria Street and on the North Shore," Lacasse said. "Normally we target the upper echelon, but there have been a lot of requests from the community . . . to take care of these problems." Ten officers worked zones on the North and South Shore -- areas where illicit drug sales and prostitution occur daily. Police identified 19 people selling crack cocaine in downtown Kamloops, 11 in the zone bordering Tranquille Road. Six purchases were from known sex-trade workers. Four trafficked the drugs to undercover officers on two separate occasions. No weapons were seized during the investigation. A total of 42 trafficking charges are pending. "What this is going to do is hopefully clean up these areas and restore a healthy lifestyle for these neighbourhoods for a period of time," Lacasse said. There's a perception in the community that red zones are created to target sex-trade workers. Lacasse said this is not the case. "The red zone is going to be used for property-crime offences, drug crime, sex-trade workers and the johns. . . . What we're hoping is that, overall, this will reduce crime." North Shore Business Improvement Association president Peter Mutrie applauded the operation, saying the zones are a tool police can use to target low-level crime. "Congratulations to the RCMP for doing their job," he said. Coun. Arjun Singh has criticized the red zones, saying banning prostitutes from parts of the city doesn't provide a long-term, stable solution to the sex trade. His attitude towards police using the zones to nab drug dealers is decidedly different. He said drugs are one way people are lured into the sex trade. By targeting the dealers, police are helping the victims. "I think going after the drug dealers is great. It's such a great idea. These are people causing a lot of problems in the community," he said. Mutrie said people need to work together if the sex and drug trades are to be stopped. "More people need to get involved in finding a solution instead of pointing fingers at each other," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek