DEATHS BLAMED ON DRUGS

The man and woman who died from a drug overdose on the weekend are two more
casualties of the river of hard drugs that's streaming into the Central
Okanagan.

Barbara Lorraine Austin, 26, and Walter Thomas Barnes, 33, were found dead
in their basement suite on Harvey Avenue early Saturday from an apparent
drug overdose. Syringes and other drug paraphernalia were found nearby.

Police suspect they either took a lethal amount of narcotics or combined
several drugs. A toxicology test will confirm the answer in two or three weeks.

Sgt. Terry McLachlan of the RCMP's special-operations section won't be
surprised whatever the results show. Users often experiment when their drug
of choice no longer gives them the high they want.

"Some people mix drugs to get a different high," he said. "If they're
removed from the drug scene, they come back and try to resume the same
amount. Their tolerance level has gone down. Their body goes into shock,
which shuts their organs down."

The number of drug deaths has steadily risen in Kelowna. Seven people have
died from an overdose this year, with more than three months to go. Nine
died in all of 2000.

Authorities agree more hard drugs are coming into the city and gaining a
foothold. While marijuana was once the drug of choice, cocaine has emerged
as the most popular in most circles. More people are selling coke than pot
at nightclubs and in City Park, said McLachlan.

"It's more lucrative. It's a profit-driven industry. If you can make a
couple of bucks with marijuana, you can make more with cocaine," he said.
"It's up to the courts to step up and put their foot down on traffickers."

Dealers who transport their wares from the Lower Mainland provide the bulk
of Kelowna's hard-drug supply. Outlaw motorcycle gangs are also making
inroads. Where there's organized crime, there's a copious amount of heroin,
coke and synthetic drugs for sale.

The RCMP, the Downtown Kelowna Association and city councillors are trying
to make the gangs feel unwelcome here, said McLachlan.

"If they're trying to gain control of an area, they're trying to gain
control of drug trafficking because that's a very lucrative business. You
could say that's their mainstay," he said.

The war against drugs is fleeting. Police rely on informants who point to
dealers who are active. They targeted people selling ecstasy, GHB and other
synthetic drugs in May, but the fight is hit-and-miss.

McLachlan has found overdose victims he knows - people he's busted before
and tried to steer in a healthier direction.

"The courts have failed, or the system has failed, to get this person the
help he needs. You hate to see them fall through the cracks. Most of the
time, that's how it ends for repeat users.

"You say 'look, you keep going and this is what will happen to you. They
think about it, but they're right back to the same lifestyle.