CRACK NOW DRUG OF CHOICE IN CITY

Petty Crime, Prostitution On Rise As Addicts Seek Quick Cash: Police

Crack cocaine, once a rarity on city streets, has become the drug of choice
among thousands of Winnipeg drug users -- a trend that's brought more crime
to inner-city neighbourhoods and changed how police wage the war on drugs.

The proliferation of the drug, which police say is available throughout the
city, has caused an increase in crack houses on residential streets in the
west end and core area. In turn, prostitution and petty crime has risen in
these areas as addicts try to make quick money to buy the drug.

"Crack has found a market-place in Winnipeg," one city drug cop said.
"Crack has found itself in all communities.

"Talwin and Ritalin abuse never made it to the suburbs, but crack cocaine has."

Police also admit the rise of crack and cocaine use has forced them to
essentially abandon their fight against local hydroponic marijuana grow
operations. They took down a mid-size grow operation on Selkirk Avenue last
Thursday, but only because the growers tripped a burglar alarm as they
harvested plants.

Vice Insp. Stan Tataryn said his officers have had to focus their limited
resources on bringing down the people responsible for importing cocaine
into Manitoba.

"It's harm evaluation," Tataryn said. "You have X amount of police
officers. You have to choose."

Other officers say that means casual pot users and basement dope growers
will likely go unchecked by police -- even if police are tipped about
small-time dealers selling pot out of their front door.

"If we had more resources, we could do more, yeah," Tataryn added. "But
would it solve the problem?"

Crack cocaine was once more of a problem in the ghettos of big U.S. cities
- -- not Winnipeg. In 1990, city police seized only two grams of crack.
Today, officers see the drug almost hourly.

For example, an officer was recently questioning a break-and-enter suspect
and, during a search, found 25 rocks of crack cocaine on him. And last
weekend, RCMP in Steinbach seized 15 rocks of crack from four suspected
convenience store robbers.

More worrisome, however, is that cocaine and crack seizures in 2001 are
already above what police confiscated last year.

In 2000, police seized 59.2 ounces of powdered cocaine and 41 ounces of
crack. As of the end of August this year, officers had taken 51 ounces of
powdered cocaine and 87 ounces of crack off the street.

And they think they only seize five per cent of what's out there, but even
that percentage may be too generous.

Tataryn said police are focusing more on highly addictive crack and
powdered cocaine because of who's behind its importation and distribution
on city streets. They're also trying to track the pushing of ecstasy and
crystal methamphetamine.

Police believe the Hells Angels motorcycle gang is behind much of the drug
trade, and is attempting to control all of it.

However, because of the high profitability of the drug, other players are
on the scene.

"It's big money," Tataryn says. "There are different sources bringing it
in, but for us to say who exactly, that would be guess work."

Police also believe large amounts of cocaine -- several dozen kilos at a
time -- come into the city almost on a regular basis. Dealers, following a
simple process available on the Internet, then "cook" or purify the cocaine
here, turning it into rock or crack cocaine.

Users can buy crack for $40 for several rocks, often getting it delivered
by paging a dealer. They heat the crack in a pipe and inhale the vapours,
creating an almost instant "high."

"When people don't stop using they'll become addicted to the pleasurable
effects of the drug," said Dr. Arthur Herscovitch, clinical psychologist at
the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba. "They become more willing to endure
the horrific effects, like losing a job or their family."

Some addicts spend up to $1,000 every few days to feed their habit.

Addicts also risk permanently ruining their health.

Dr. Wes Palatnick, head of emergency at Health Sciences Centre, says
doctors are dealing more often with crack and cocaine users who have
"issues" -- adverse reactions because they've ingested too much or mixed it
with other drugs. One 32-year-old user even suffered a stroke.

Tataryn added at one time police would make public the fact they seized
crack cocaine, now they don't bother. That's because police feel the media
has become bored with crack and won't inform the public.

And many officers believe the work they're doing tracking down big-time
dealers isn't being recognized by the justice and corrections systems.

Officers say they'll spend months collaring a trafficker and see him sent
to prison for several years, but then he's paroled within months. For
example, one trafficker was recently sentenced to seven years, but paroled
within 18 months.

"Many of us ask, what's the point?" one officer said.