DRUG RAID TARGETS GANG

A Saskatoon drug bust that began at 6 a.m. on Wednesday and went well
into the afternoon resulted in eight arrests, in a raid meant to
stamp out a gang that has recently infiltrated the province.

Insp. John Cantafio, the RCMP officer in charge of the Combined
Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), said Crazy Dragon members
normally operate within Alberta, where they have been responsible for
cocaine traf-fi cking and serious violence. The gang came into
Saskatchewan more than nine months ago, he said.

"Our goal was to eliminate their presence in Saskatchewan before they
became entrenched," he said.

After a nine-month investigation, the unit struck against the gang's
Saskatoon cell on Wednesday, executing four search warrants and
arresting eight people. Five suspected Crazy Dragon Street gang
members and one female associate will appear in court today on
charges of participating in a criminal organization, directing a
criminal organization, conspiracy to traffic, trafficking cocaine and
possessing property that is the proceeds of crime.

Two other people initially arrested are still being investigated, and
further arrests and seizures are imminent, said police.

Two weeks ago, the unit conducted a similar search in Regina, which
resulted in six arrests and money and property seizures, said
Cantafio. Police chose not to release information about those arrests
earlier because they didn't want to hamper the investigation against
the Saskatoon cell, he said.

"There have been drugs seized, there has been money seized, there has
been property seized," Cantafio said.

Although he wouldn't specify the amounts of drugs or money seized on
Tuesday, Cantafio said the newly formed CFSEU has not yet made any
drug raids that were comparable in size to the current raid.

In February, CFSEU uncovered a case of drug trafficking in Prince
Albert and surrounding northern area, which resulted in 48 charges
against 18 people.

In that raid, police seized 74 grams of cocaine, 138 grams of
marijuana and two vehicles as offence-related property.

Cantafio said he's confident the current investigation has flushed
out all Crazy Dragon members in the province, not an easy task given
the group is highly organized and sophisticated.

"They're not just a pint-sized street gang there," he said. "Just
think, it took us nine months to catch them. They're not stupid."