CRYSTAL METH CROPPING UP: OPP

Public involvement is crucial in the fight against the spread of
illegal drugs in Orillia, police told a local audience this week.

"We can't do any of our work without the public helping out," Const.
Steven Martell said moments before addressing an audience at OPP
General Headquarters on Monday evening. "We can't see everything all the time."

Martell stood before a display table laden with clear plastic bags
containing samples of magic mushrooms, heroin, pot, and other drugs
seized in raids.

Crack - a derivative of powdered cocaine - is "the number one drug in
town," said Martell, who led the audience of more than 40 on a visual
tour of the myriad mind-altering substances available on the market today.

Pointing to the wide-ranging impacts drugs have on society at large,
he said addicts hungry for their next fix are responsible for a range
of crimes from break and enters and home invasions to armed robberies.

Martell urged those gathered to keep their eyes peeled and their ears
open for evidence of suspicious activity that may be drug related.

"If they see different people coming in and out of a house a lot,
they can call us," he said.

The Orillia Community Policing Committee hosted the presentation in
an effort to raise awareness of the importance of local involvement
in law enforcement issues.

"(Drugs) are not a young person's problem," said committee chair
Kevin Gangloff. "It is the young and adults alike."

Martell said police have seen evidence of the highly addictive
stimulant crystal meth cropping up locally, but not to the extent
experienced in other communities.

"It hasn't hit full tilt, but we have had some," he added. "If it
does come, it is going to hit hard, and we are preparing for that."

The morning after the presentation, police seized $45,000 worth of
marijuana and another $20,000 in growing equipment from a Ramara Township home.

Three people face charges related to trafficking and producing a
controlled substance.

"You can only fight drugs if the community helps," Martell added. "It
is the most effective tool."