CRACK USE INCREASES IN CITY

This past year will be remembered, not so fondly, as one where
Greater Sudbury lost its innocence when it came to one of the most
destructive illicit drugs.

Greater Sudbury Police have admitted crack cocaine has become a very
serious problem across this city and many other parts of Northern Ontario.

Peter Orsino, head of the joint forces drug unit for Greater Sudbury
Police, said within the past two years, crack cocaine has gone from a
fringe problem involving a couple dozen addicts to one reaching
epidemic proportions.

Because it's relatively cheap - you can buy a small piece of crack
that will get you high for $10 - more and more people are trying it.
Drug gangs from Toronto have set up shop in Greater Sudbury because
there are huge profits to be made, said Orsino.

The problem is the effects of crack last only 10 to 20 minutes and
addicts want more and more. The craving never goes away. It's not
unusual for an addict to spend anywhere from $500 to $2,000 a day, said Orsino.

One crack cocaine addict, who agreed to speak to Northern Life, said
the powerful drug is readily available and destroying hundreds, if
not thousands, of lives in this community.

"You might as well put a gun in your mouth," he said. "It's that
bad...this stuff is so addictive and causes so much grief and
destruction, I can't put it into words."

Crack addicts lose all compassion and concern for themselves and
others and their only goal is to get enough money - legally or
illegally - to feed their addiction. The need for more drugs is so
strong, most addicts can't work and resort to crime to get the money
to buy more, he said.

"You totally forget how to care about people...you forget how to
love," he said. "Your only concern is getting enough money to get
high again and if that means lying or stealing or prostituting
yourself, then that's what an addict will do."

In October, local police services claimed a small victory in the
fight against the scourge of crack cocaine in Greater Sudbury by
charging 37 people with trafficking.

The charges stem from an eight-month undercover investigation
conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Section
and Greater Sudbury Police. The investigation was code-named Project Rocked.

"Am I convinced we've stemmed the tide of crack cocaine in this
community...no I'm not, but I am confident we've reached deep into
the local drug trade," said Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson.

"I also do know 37 dealers are in jail or will soon be in jail."

An undercover officer was able to make numerous purchases of crack
cocaine during this project, which resulted in the 37 individuals
being charged with more than 200 various drug-related offences.

Over $120,000 of crack cocaine was seized and purchased during the
investigation.

In November, the courts in Sudbury clearly indicated dealers will pay
a heavy price.

A young man caught three times in a few weeks selling crack cocaine
to an undercover police officer last April and May was sentenced to
two years in a federal penitentiary Thursday.