CRACK HOTBED IN COP STATION'S SHADOW

Nestled between police headquarters to the north and city hall to the
south lies Hamilton's crack cocaine hot spot. It is a short,
four-block stretch along King Street East between John and Wellington
streets. It is the area of town where dealers sell their goods,
addicts shop for a fix and an undercover cop needs only to stop a
stranger on the street to find out where to score. This is the domain
of Project Rex.

The three-week covert operation by Hamilton Police was designed to
reveal the major players and places in the city's crack trade. What
the cops discovered wasn't much of a surprise to them. They already
knew the highly addictive drug is prevalent in the downtown core. In
fact, they narrowed their focus to those four blocks that have
proven, time and time again, to be the easiest place in the city to
buy crack.

Veteran police officers will tell you that -- just like music and
clothes -- drugs come in and out of fashion in every urban centre. In
the 1970s, Hamilton streets were infested with speed. In the 1980s it
was cocaine.

These days, crack is the drug du jour.

The behind-the-scenes details of Project Rex were revealed for the
first time last week during testimony at a public Alcohol and Gaming
Commission of Ontario hearing in Toronto. Since local officers would
likely be recognized on their own streets, a Toronto vice and drugs
officer was brought in to pose as an addict. His job was to
infiltrate that downtown area and try to buy drugs. The officer's
written notes became key evidence at the hearing.

The cop's first day on King Street East was June 26. Everywhere he
went, there was a team of Hamilton plain clothes officers not far
behind, keeping an eye on his every move.

Even more than other drug addicts, crackheads are extremely volatile,
often paranoid, and can be very dangerous, testified Detective
Constable Gary Heron, the officer in charge of Project Rex.

"We have a large problem in the city with crack cocaine. And with the
use of crack cocaine, other crimes will stem -- such as robberies,
break and enters, along with assaults."

Heron went on to testify that crack users often "protect themselves
with the use of weapons and violence" and that "if this is allowed to
continue, there's a strong possibility someone could be seriously
injured or killed.

This is the situation the undercover officer -- or U.C. in police
lingo -- would have to wade into.

So on his first shift in Hamilton, he went to a bar police believed
might be a good place to buy crack. But on that particular day, the
cop couldn't find what he was looking for. So he walked west on King
and stopped a stranger on the street to ask him where he could buy
some "rock." The stranger pointed to a bar at 149 King St. E. called
Big Lisa's. At least that's what people on the street call it. For a
while, it had a sign out front that said Mojo's. And on paper, its is
legally called Downtowner Billiards.

Within minutes of going in, the U.C. had made his first purchase.

Hamilton cops covered the front and back doors while he was inside.

On and off over the next three weeks, the cop bought crack, once
buying $750 worth at a time.

"Drug trafficking inside the bar and in relation to the bar was of an
epidemic proportion which was condoned by staff members," said Heron.

On other days during Project Rex: Desmond Allan, who goes by the
street name "Dreds," met the undercover officer and told him "to see
his guy at Big Lisa's" for crack. A short time later, Dreds arranged
for the cop to buy $40 worth of crack from "his guy" and the exchange
was made in the bar's basement washroom. Allan was later charged with
two counts of trafficking and breach of probation.

Police were called to a Hamilton hospital after a 16-year-old girl
was treated for an assault. She was extremely drunk and told the
doctor she had been drinking at Big Lisa's.

Two women at Big Lisa's strike up a conversation with the U.C. about
crack. One woman takes a white envelope of crack out of her bag and
sells it to the cop. The second woman -- who acted as a go-between --
takes a small cut for herself. One woman is a known prostitute and on
another day offers oral sex to the cop for $20.

The cop buys crack from a man he believes is a bar employee. The man
escorts the cop to his nearby apartment, and invites him to smoke
crack. The cop declines. Says he expects a ride. It's the same
apartment building where a mother of five, named Jackie MacLean, was
found murdered last week. She was a regular at Big Lisa's.

When Project Rex wrapped up July 18, 48 criminal charges were laid,
mostly for trafficking and possession of narcotics, prostitution and
breaches of probation. Police say 39 charges relate to Big Lisa's
staff and patrons.

"The undercover officer said this is one of the busiest bars in
regard to drug activity he has ever worked in," Heron testified.

Big Lisa's was temporarily closed last Thursday on an emergency order
from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. A full hearing to determine
its future must be held before Sept. 7.

Shutting bars is the closest thing police, the province and
politicians have to solving the crack problem.

But that too, is temporary.

If Big Lisa's is closed permanently, the dealers and users will
simply buy their beer and drugs elsewhere. Because so long as crack
is addictive, there will be addicts needing a fix.