DRUG GANGS THRIVING HERE - RCMP

Police Say Their Efforts Are Not Keeping Pace With Growth Of Criminal
Networks

EDMONTON - As Alberta's criminal networks grow more organized and
increasingly profitable, taxpayer dollars are funding increasingly
organized and costly police intelligence networks to hunt them down,
but it's never enough, an RCMP officer said Wednesday.

"Is it increasing? Yes," Const. Dave Wilkinson said when asked about
the activities of criminal networks such the Hells Angels.

"As the economy grows, as the population in the province grows,
criminal networks are increasing."

Wilkinson is the RCMP's criminal operations co-ordinator for the
provincial capital district. He is one of three RCMP members on the
Metro Crime Unit and works alongside 21 members of the Edmonton Police
Service.

The Metro Crime Unit was established in 2005 in response to the
increasing sophistication of criminal organizations. As fast as such
police organizations grow, criminal organizations may grow even
faster, Wilkinson said.

Evidence of the growth in organized criminal activity was seen in
police drug and weapons seizures during 2006, the year the Metro
Edmonton Gang Unit became fully operational.

In that year police seized 42.5 kilograms of cocaine, 100 firearms and
more than $1 million in cash.

The drug business -- the main activity of criminal networks -- is the
work of 18 to 19 criminal networks, said Staff Sgt. Kevin Galvin of
the co-ordinated crime section. Some networks -- often called gangs --
have given themselves colourful monikers such as the Crazy Dragons,
the Crazy Dragon Killers, GTC (Get the Cash), North End Jamaicans,
Indian Posse, White Boy Posse and West End Jamaicans.

Albertans shouldn't think of the people involved in these businesses
as mere thugs, hooligans or bikers, Galvin said. "These gang members
don't live in the marginalized communities of Edmonton. They live next
door to each of you, buying large houses and buying legitimate
businesses to launder their money."

"The majority of their business is drug-related, so when your car is
broken into or your house is broken into, it is likely drug-driven.
That person is breaking in to get a few items to pawn."

Last year, 11 of Edmonton's 36 homicides were gang-related, Galvin
said. If this were Eastern Canada, most of those killings would
represent turf wars between gangs. That's not the case with Edmonton's
gang culture, says Galvin.

"Here in Edmonton the bulk of it is internal. If you step out of line
you are disciplined by violence."