Last week the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights debated Peace River Member of Parliament Chris Warkentin's private member's bill to establish a new offence in the Criminal Code of Canada to deal with the growing problem of producing and trafficking of the illegal drug methamphetamine or crystal meth.

On Dec.11 Warkentin testified before the committee.

"It is incumbent, I believe, upon us as legislators to enact legislation that holds to account those who willingly produce, or support those who produce, this harmful substance," he said.

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A Salt Spring woman who took an active role campaigning for the release of Bert Tatham from a Dubai jail is relieved to know he's arrived home in time for Christmas.

Tatham, 36, arrived in Toronto on Tuesday night, two days after authorities released him and 377 other prisoners as part of an amnesty held in conjunction with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. Two other Canadian citizens were among those released.

"It's a good news story," said Salt Spring resident Amanda Spottiswoode, the mother of Bert Tatham's partner Sarah Gilmer, 28, of Victoria. "There are so many bad news stories out there and this is a nice change."

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Street Crime Unit Kicks Off With Sweep of Dealers

For a solid hour on Saturday afternoon, Project Street Sweep zeroes in on its targets: street-level drug dealers working city streets, selling single rocks of crack cocaine for $20 a hit.

Most of the arrests take place in the ByWard Market area, with the police radio rhyming off the intersections.

In each case, plainclothes police and uniforms identify the dealers, then swoop in to make the arrests.

"It's unbelievable how bad the street-level drug problem is," Staff Sgt. Samir Bhatnagar, a senior officer with the newly formed 10-member Street Crime Unit, says. "It's mindboggling how prevalent it is right now."

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Crime Stoppers and B.C. Hydro teamed up to pull the plug on illegal grow operations.

Tips received through Crime Stoppers will now go to BC Hydro's energy diversion investigators. Investigators will receive addresses of suspected grow-ops, assisting them to confirm energy thefts and recover funds.

When B.C. Hydro finds evidence of energy thefts it notifies law enforcement, which can lead to search warrants and charges.

Shirley Stocker, president of B.C. Crime Stoppers, said the most important aspect of Crime Stoppers is people can leave anonymous tips. They don't have to testify in courts and can receive cash rewards.

People who know of suspected marijuana grow operations can call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.bccrimestoppers.com.

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It's not the type of job you'll find listed in the classifieds. But that hasn't stopped a handful of Manitobans from trading in their life "experience" for an opportunity to work undercover as secret police agents.

Scotty "Taz" Robertson is the latest to find employment. The 49-year-old career biker groupie has spent the past year infiltrating Hells Angels activities in a sting operation dubbed Project Drill.

The result was 18 arrests last week for a string of crimes including drug and weapons trafficking, and even conspiracy to commit murder. Many of the alleged offences were caught on wiretap and through video surveillance made possible by Robertson.

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For Now, Police Will Keep Those Facing Drug Charges Off Premises

Three downtown Ottawa homeless shelters are asking the courts to prevent those charged with dealing drugs on their premises from coming within 500 metres until their charges are dealt with.

A formal letter submitted to police was signed by Shepherds of Good Hope, The Ottawa Mission and the Salvation Army.

Police say they will temporarily impose the condition, but also submit the letter as a victim impact statement for the courts to consider at trial.

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Re: "Island users to get free crack pipes," Dec. 13.

Why is the government supporting the use of illegal drugs by giving out free crack pipes? I'm in my 80s. If I have a PSA test or need glasses, I have to pay. I had to have a blood-pressure monitor. I had to pay. If I am required to have a doctor's examination for a driver's licence, I would have to pay. I have lived in this province all of my life and paid the taxes required. I put my life on the line in the 1940s when I was a teenager.

What do these drug addicts do for society?

Barney Baines,

Ladysmith.

[end]

Newly-Freed Anti-Narcotics Worker Should Have Left Sample Poppies Behind

NEW YORK - In his first interview since his release from a Dubai prison, anti-narcotics official Bert Tatham says the Arab emirate should have given him a break instead of prosecuting him for drug possession.

He also shed light on his treatment in prison, saying he gave testimony in a "human rights" matter. The reference was to an August incident in which rampaging Dubai officials severely injured at least one inmate, and roughed up others to various degrees -- among them Mr. Tatham.

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Crown and defence lawyers are working to keep on track two long-running and ongoing Victoria cases temporarily delayed by the sudden death of a Supreme Court judge.

Conferences have been scheduled for January to make sure of continuations of the murder trial of Ruby Ann Ruffolo and the constitutional challenge to the marijuana charges levelled at two men arrested in a raid on a house used by the Vancouver Island Compassion Society as a grow operation.

Both cases were the responsibility of Justice Robert Edwards, who died suddenly on Nov. 5, at the age of 61. Those cases have been handed to Justice M. Marvyn Koenigsberg.

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Greetings from Ottawa. Canada's government is committed to giving police the tools they need to crack down on crime. This is why we have recently introduced three new pieces of legislation that will respond to the problems posed by youth crime, introduce mandatory minimum sentences for serious drug crimes and combat the complex and serious problem of identity theft.

Bill C-25 will amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) to allow courts to consider deterrence and denunciation as objectives of youth sentences. This change will give judges the flexibility to impose appropriate punishments with the objective of preventing serious offences committed by youth. Bill C-25 will also change the current pre-trial detention provisions in the YCJA by making it easier to detain youth in custody prior to their trials if they pose a risk to public safety.

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Ottawa's new street crime unit can squeeze the supply of drugs all it likes, but that won't solve the city's substance-abuse problems.

Operation "Street Sweep" picked up 65 suspects on the weekend, laying a few hundred charges. The idea was to put the fear of the law into the dealers, to show them they don't operate with impunity.

That's a worthwhile goal, although its worth shouldn't be overstated. Trafficking in drugs is illegal and the police have a duty to enforce that law. It's possible that a strong police presence could deter some would-be users and dealers from operating in plain view on the streets, to the horror of tourists and Christmas shoppers. It can also keep them out of the vicinity of shelters, where they prey on vulnerable people.

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To the Editor:

In the Dec. 3 edition of your paper there was a letter from an "Apologist" against drug prohibition stating that: "Drug use is bad, but the drug war is worse."

The Legalization Lobby claims that the fight against drugs cannot be won. However, in the U.S., overall drug use is down by more than one-third in the last 20 years, while cocaine use has dropped by an astounding 70 per cent. [An alleged] Ninety-five per cent of Americans do not use drugs. This is success by any standards.

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BC Hydro is partnering with the British Columbia Crime Stoppers Association to encourage people to report suspected marijuana grow operations, BC Hydro and the Ministry of Public Safety and the Solicitor General announced Friday.

BC Hydro's energy diversion investigators will now be able to receive addresses of suspected grow-ops reported to the Crime Stoppers' Tip Line. This new information will assist the investigators in confirming energy thefts and recovering funds. Where evidence of thefts is found, BC Hydro lays complaints with law enforcement agencies, which in turn obtain search warrants and recommend charging suspects.

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Mayerthorpe RCMP took a bite out of the drug crime in town when they executed a search warrant on a rumored drug house in town.

Four people have been charged with trafficking related offenses after police searched a Town residence in the early hours of December 8th.

"When we entered the house we found several people using crack cocaine at that time," commented Sergeant Mark Mathias with the Mayerthorpe RCMP. Four suspects have been charged and were later released.

Although Mathias was not able to comment too specifically about what was found in the residence, he did say that the evidence gathered was related to the use and distribution of crack cocaine.

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No Laws Needed To Protect B.C. Children Found In Grow-Ops, Minister Says

Three Children Were Found Last Week In An Abbotsford Home Filled With Enough Carbon Monoxide To Kill A Person In A Matter Of Hours

VICTORIA -- Social workers in the Fraser Valley were called in last week to deal with three young children found in a grow-op. Despite the wearying familiarity of the scene, they had to make a child-protection decision in the absence of any specific policy.

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The Province's Power Company Is Taking A Tougher Stand On Marijuana Grow Operations.

BC Hydro and the Ministry of Public Safety and the Solicitor General announced Friday the power company is partnering with CrimeStoppers to encourage people to report suspected marijuana grow operations.

With the new partnership, BC Hydro's energy diversion investigators will now be able to obtain the addresses of suspected grow-ops reported to the CrimeStoppers' Tip Line.

This new information will assist investigators in confirming energy thefts and recovering funds.

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Just as crystal-meth addiction affects an entire community, the solution also lies in a community-based approach, according to a study commissioned by the City of Chilliwack.

The recently-completed study by a group of researchers at the University College of the Fraser Valley found the best approach to the meth problem is focused on community, not just criminal issues.

"That means that the education, health, social services, fire, emergency response, retail and safety sectors all have a role to play in combatting the problem," said criminology professor Darryl Plecas.

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OTTAWA (CNS) - Organized crime is continuing to fuel the drug trade in Canada and a new report notes that criminal organizations are branching out and becoming more sophisticated.

"These organizations are powerful, well-connected and are dealing in high profit-yielding illicit ventures across the globe," said the RCMP's Drug Situation Report 2006, released Monday. The annual report is based on seizure data and investigations conducted by the RCMP and other enforcement agencies.

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A new study offering evidence that hepatitis C could spread through crack-pipe sharing is being lauded by a Winnipeg program that distributes free pipes in the hopes of cutting down on shared use.

"It is actually very interesting," said Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's medical officer of health, Dr. Margaret Fast, of the University of Victoria study.

The university examined drug paraphernalia used by more than 50 crack cocaine users in Toronto last year. The virus was found on one of 22 pipes whose owners tested antibody positive.

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OTTAWA -- The production of increasingly potent marijuana continues to flourish in Canada despite a decline in grow-operation seizures in British Columbia over the past four years, the RCMP says.

The national police force's annual report on the illicit drug trade concludes that pot cultivation remains "an evolving and very lucrative" industry.

The Mounties say the involvement of organized crime has significantly expanded the Canadian drug trade, with outlaw motorcycle gangs and Asian groups the reigning kingpins of the marijuana industry.

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