NEARLY 50 RIFLES SEIZED DURING RURAL DRUG BUST

HAMPTON - Police were surprised to find nearly 50 weapons during a
raid on a rural Kings County home this week.

In addition to the 48 rifles of varying size and age, RCMP also seized
about $17,000 in cash, illegal cigarettes and tobacco, and a
hodgepodge of illicit drugs during the Tuesday night bust in Marrtown,
about 20 kilometres north of Sussex.

"The large quantity of firearms were particularly surprising to
us,"Acting Sgt. Phil Oliver of the Sussex RCMP told reporters at
Hampton RCMP headquarters Thursday.

"(With) these types of quantities, there is frequently an association
with organized crime. Finding firearms of any quantity is a concern,
but when you find 48, that's not in the normal range."

"It's our belief some of these guns were traded for drugs," said Cpl.
Roger Gillies, who heads the Kennebecasis District 3 RCMP's
plain-clothes unit.

A man in his 60s, as well as a woman who did not live in the
residence, were arrested and released. Oliver said the man is the main
suspect in the case that is expected to go to court in mid-August.

There have been no charges laid. But Oliver anticipates drug charges,
including trafficking, will be pursued, as well as Criminal Code
violations relating to the firearms and other violations under the
Excise and Tobacco Tax acts.

District 3 plain-clothes officers, with the assistance of a Saint John
police dog and his handler, the Saint John RCMP drug section and
uniformed members from Sussex and Hampton executed a search warrant.
The raid went down around 9 p.m. on Tuesday after a lengthy
investigation by the plain-clothes officers.

The guns, found in lockers inside the man's home, were not registered
and without safety locks. Another gun was unsecured in the garage.
There was ammunition found but not seized, police confirm. On the
premises was also a Hilti Jack Hammer stolen in Quebec.

The raid on an obvious drug operation is expected to sting drug users
of the region, police say.

Seized along with the drugs and cash were five grams of cocaine, about
130 Viagra pills, about 340 white pills expected to be uppers/bennies,
three grams of hash, about 795 grams of marijuana, more than 20 pills
of Tylenol 3, nearly 30 grams of hash oil, about 90 pills of what is
believed to be ecstasy, and many marijuana seeds. The street value is
not known, police say.

"It's like a candy store, with all the different types of drugs," said
Gillies.

There were also nearly 335 cartons of illegal cigarettes and more than
155 bags of illegal tobacco collected. Combined they have a street
value of about $11,000, Oliver said.

In just a little more than a year, the district's plain-clothes unit
has cracked down on about 10 drug operations in the Sussex, Norton and
Hampton areas, Gillies said.

He doesn't believe there's a significant rise in drug crime, but there
has been a push by his unit to put drug dealers out of business, he
said. Traditionally the unit focused on break and enters but found
that most of those crimes were connected to drugs, Gillies explained,
so officers shifted gears to get to the heart of the matter.

"I don't believe there's more crime. I believe the crime rate is
steady, but I would attribute it to our excellent members," Oliver
said, specifically "our plain-clothes officers who work night and day."

The $17,000, found hidden throughout the house in clothing drawers and
among the guns, consisted mainly of $20 and $100 bills. With the cash
were journals with names of possible buyers or the man's suppliers,
Gillies confirmed.

"This is very significant," Gillies said of the raid. "The difference
with this one is it was a one-stop. Whatever someone was looking for
was all there in one place."