Pubdate: Thu, 16 Apr 2015
Source: North Bay Nugget (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 North Bay Nugget
Contact: http://www.nugget.ca/letters
Website: http://www.nugget.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2226
Author: Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles
Page: A1

BUSTS ARE FEWER, BUT SEIZURES LARGER

Drug dealers from Ottawa and southern Ontario continue to target North
Bay, viewing it as a lucrative market.

Cocaine, crack cocaine, magic mushrooms, heroine, Percocets and Molly
(methylenedioxymethamphetamine), more commonly referred to as MDMA -
the active ingredient in the party drug ecstasy - are encountered by
police.

And while the number of drug busts is down, the size of the seizures
is growing, Deputy Police Chief Shawn Devine reported this week to the
North Bay Police Service's Board.

Devine said in a recent bust police seized almost 20 kilograms of
marijuana.

"A lot of public blogs stated it was just marijuana. But it's not just
marijuana. That marijuana was manufactured in southern Ontario by
organized crime."

Devine said North Bay's location is a contributing
factor.

"We have three major highways that run through North Bay and we
realize that this is an area where drugs will be trafficked through,"
he said. "As a result of seizures and arrests, nobody would be
surprised to hear that many of the addresses of those arrested are
from out of town.

"It's supply and demand. We're doing everything we can. Our Street
Crime unit has been very active doing searches, seizures and arrests.
Drugs will not be solved solely by the police service, we need
co-operation from parents to teach their children about drugs and the
dangers of them."

Mayor Al McDonald conceded the city can't stop drugs from entering the
community.

"Drugs are everywhere, not just in North Bay, and we have to wake up
to that fact. We have to take a stance. And I have made this one of my
priorities this term," he said.

"I'm hearing from parents their concerns about drug use with young
kids. I want to be known as a community that says absolutely no to
drugs and we're going to take a stance on that," he said.

"It's not just a police problem. The community needs to stand up and
be part of that solution. We're going to need our community to work
with our police service to make that happen."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt