DRUG CRIME BLAMED FOR UNSOLVED HOMICIDES

Players in the city's growing drug trade are using deadly violence to
settle their scores, prompting police to look at links between
unsolved homicides and the lucrative marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine
markets.

"I think if you boil it down, you find that a lot of these homicides
do have a lot of illegal activity, like a drug lifestyle," said
homicide unit Staff Sgt. Barry Cochran, who has pooled a crew of
investigators to examine unsolved slayings.

"There are people who are desperate, who have no morals and values who
will do what they can to further their drug-dealing
opportunities."

A funeral for the city's most recent murder victim happened
Friday.

Yonas Amahazion, a 19-year-old drifter in Calgary's violent drug
scene, was found badly burned in a trash bin Jan. 4. His killer
remains at large.

There is little doubt Amahazion, who was charged with trafficking last
February when he was arrested carrying cocaine and $350 in cash in the
200 block of 12th Avenue S.W., was entangled in the local drug scene.

"If by choice a person decides to become entrenched in this life, they
certainly are putting themselves in jeopardy of facing harm," said
Cochran.

Some unsolved slayings include: Eric Regimbald, who was tossed from a
moving car in August; Thanh Ky Do, who was found inside the trunk of a
rental car; Preston Jesse Matthews, who was shot near a C-Train
platform in November; and Wayman Scott, who was found shot outside the
city.

Despite a population of one million, the city's world of drug
kingpins, dealers and users is a small one and criminals are easily
connected to one a nother, regardless of their rank.

That makes finding street informants to help solve murders a
challenge, police say.

If street sources provide information to help them catch a killer,
police will protect them, said Cochran.

"If there are people who want to come forward, we have the means to
offer an opportunity for them to be placed in a safe environment."