DRUGS LEAD TO GUNPLAY

Police Are Finding More Guns In The City

Drug deals are a problem in the streets of New Westminster, as they
are in other cities.

But it's when the dealers go inside that it can actually get
worse.

Dealers on the street tend to settle their problems with knives. Those
higher up the chain go one better and bring out the guns.

"We're increasingly finding more guns, and that's a concern," said
Sgt. Ivan Chu, spokesperson for the New Westminster Police Service.

"That's always the concern whenever you're dealing with more than the
street-level drug trafficking.

"If there is any gunplay, that's when innocent people get caught in
the crossfire. And any time the police can take a gun off the street,
that's a huge thing."

Innocent people getting caught in the crossfire has happened before in
B.C. - last October, six people were executed in Surrey in a mass gang
slaying.

Four of the victims were involved in the drug trade, two of the men
were innocent, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility for something similar to
happen in New Westminster.

"We're seizing more guns, we're seeing more guns," said Chu. "There's
a whole gangster culture of people using bulletproof vests, carrying
guns.

"It's gotten to that, in terms of the higher level of drug
dealers."

Each gang-related killing worsens the situation.

"With all the recent shootings, they're arming themselves for
protection," Chu said. "They're arming themselves for committing crimes."

Few will turn their lives around, but Chu said police are working on
prevention.

"We're trying to educate kids that the gangster lifestyle isn't the
way to go."

Weapons and drugs are already a concern here.

In July, police officers raided an apartment in the 900 block of St.
Andrews Street.

After they got information about someone dealing crack cocaine out of
the apartment, officers with New Westminster's special projects team
and operational support unit had started to investigate the place.

Then they got an anonymous tip that the person in the apartment might
have guns.

The investigation suddenly became urgent, and police got a search
warrant the same day.

Because of the danger, the municipal integrated emergency response
team executed the warrant around midnight on July 2.

They arrested the two people who were inside at the time and took a
look around.

Officers found what Chu later described as "a substantial amount of
crack cocaine," along with about $10,000 in cash and electronic
equipment that police think had been stolen.

They also found a pistol, that turned out to be an air gun, along with
a number of other weapons: 13 swords, a stun gun and bear spray canisters.