Pubdate: Fri, 19 Oct 2012
Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Kamloops Daily News
Contact:  http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/679
Author: Michelle Young

KAMLOOPS DRUG RING BUSTED

Police Arrest Nine in Bust that may have Gand Connections

Buyers may have spent $ 1,000 a month on coke

Nine people suspected in a major dial- a-dope operation in Kamloops
are out on strict conditions awaiting charges in a police bust that
RCMP say has gang connections.

Wiretaps, surveillance and undercover officers from other detachments
were involved in the eight-month investigation, Insp. Yves Lacasse
said Thursday.

Police laid out some of the take from the five search warrants they
used in their arrests last week: 1.3 kilograms of cocaine, $ 142,000
in cash, body armour, a 9- mm Ruger handgun, a .30- 06 rifle, a .22
rifle, a .300- calibre rifle, three sawed-off shotguns, a cutting
agent, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a money-counting machine and
a cocaine press.

They also confiscated three vehicles: a BMW SUV, a Toyota sedan and a
Lexus sedan.

The suspected main supplier is from Kamloops, and there were links to
gangs in the Lower Mainland, said Lacasse.

Project ENOCTURNAL started in February, and at its peak involved 21
officers whose investigation led to last week's arrests of eight men
and one woman between the ages of 20 and 40.

"This one was extremely sophisticated. They ran this like a business,"
he said, adding the operation had set shifts, accounting books and
expense claims. The buyers were mostly people with jobs, often with
families, and some of them had habits that cost them $ 1,000 a month,
he said.

RCMP are recommending charges to the Crown that include trafficking in
a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking,
conspiracy to commit trafficking, possession of property or proceeds
from offences, and commission of offence for criminal
organization.

"I am extremely proud of the work done by this detachment," said
Lacasse, who has always taken a hard line on gangs.

"This operation effectively shut down a major drug supplier in
Kamloops." During the investigation, officers made 20 purchases of
cocaine in amounts from one gram to three ounces.

"We've removed a lot of drugs from the streets," said Lacasse. "The
individuals in this operation were people we consider to be at the top
in Kamloops."

Lacasse said the investigation involved thousands of hours of
surveillance as well as monitored phone calls and text messages.

The dial- a-dope operation would usually involve the customers
calling the dealer and meeting in an exchange location such as a bar,
restaurant or parking lot, he said.

The investigation is still not complete, so Lacasse couldn't say what
the consequences might be for the drug customers.

"What will come out of that, I just don't know right now," he
said.

- ------------------------------------

Analysis

Cocaine Expected to be Back on City Streets Before
Long

'As long as there are people out there willing to pay good money for
it, there are huge profits to be made'

The 1.3 kilograms of cocaine that Kamloops RCMP took off city streets
last week was likely destined for middle-class people who use the drug
in its less intense powdered version.

The more cocaine is regularly used, the higher the chances are of
becoming addicted, said Dr. Reid Webster, TRU assistant professor of
psychology.

Powder cocaine is also used recreationally. It's a stimulant that
produces rapid euphoria and gives a feeling of increased mental
alertness and reduced hunger and thirst so the user can work longer
and harder, he said Thursday.

With prolonged use, the drug can take its toll. Users can suffer heart
attacks, strokes and even suffer cocaine psychosis where they become
disoriented and experience hallucinations, especially during
withdrawal, he said.

"I've seen guys who've used so much blow their nose is eaten away,"
said Webster.

If cocaine availability dries up, addicts might seek out another
stimulant such as crystal meth, although some don't like its effects,
he said.

Webster said the addicts he deals with at jail have often switched
among cocaine, crystal meth and crack cocaine, which is a more intense
drug than the powder version.

Bob Hughes at ASK Wellness said other drug dealers will move quickly
to fill the demand for cocaine.

"Soft powdered cocaine is used by the middle class," although smoking
crack cocaine hits the system faster and harder, he said.

It's also considered more socially acceptable than its intense cousin,
he said.

"Some do it for 20 years and have no problem, others start running out
of money and run into problems," he said.

Hughes said the abundance of money flowing from the Alberta oil patch
is probably having a direct impact on the use of cocaine in Western
Canada.

He was glad to hear police got some firearms off the streets in their
investigation, as that means the potential for violence has been reduced.

Whether people's drug-use habits will change, however, he couldn't
say.

"On the short term, the prices will go up. The risks attached to going
and buying it will be higher. And that's when you find out who has a
problem, when they can't get their supply," said Hughes.

"The buyers, if arrested, it affects their jobs, their marriages,
their lives. The hope is people rethink their use of the substance;
that they're not prepared to take the risks because it's in the public
eye."

Dr. Rob Baker, a family physician with expertise in addictions, said
there are a lot of people who use powder cocaine recreationally, even
dropping $1,000 on a weekend to use the drug while partying.

Serious cocaine addicts can easily spend $1,000 a week on their habit,
he said.

Addicts tend to want to get their hits as fast as possible, which is
why they smoke it. It takes a drug eight seconds to reach the brain if
it's smoked, 15 seconds if it's injected and 30 seconds if it's
snorted, he said.

It won't take long for another dealer to get cocaine back on the
Kamloops streets, said Baker.

"As long as there are people out there willing to pay good money for
it, there are huge profits to be made."
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MAP posted-by: Matt