VERNON HIT BY SPATE OF DRUG KILLINGS

Mounties Investigating Five Murders And Two Disappearances

An investigation into a spate of drug-related murders and
disappearances deepened yesterday with a raid by a special RCMP team
on a Vernon warehouse.

One business operator alongside the two-storey warehouse said he has
been suspicious of the goings on in the building.

"The windows are all boarded up so you don't know what's going on,"
said Jeremiah Williamson of Aslan Electrical, Plumbing and Gas
Fitting Ltd., located near the warehouse in the 1000-block Fairweather Road.

Williamson said people were living in the building.

"They have Rottweilers running up and down the street," he said. "Why
would you live in a commercial area; in a warehouse? They're living
there -- there's no doubt about it."

Williamson said he recently saw one of the people who live in the
warehouse at a gas station.

"He's got a wad of 20s and 100s bigger than my fist in his pocket.
He's got gold rings, chains -- it's pretty obvious."

Police descended on the building yesterday morning and sealed it off.

Vernon RCMP Cpl. Red Leibel confirmed the raid was part of an
investigation into five murders and two mysterious disappearances
since August last year.

"The persons deceased and the persons missing were involved in the
Vernon drug trade in some way shape or form," Leibel said.

The missing men are David Marnuik, 47, of Vernon and Stanley Polak,
33, of Falkland.

Leibel said yesterday's raid was specifically aimed at gathering
evidence related to Marnuik's disappearance.

Marnuik disappeared in "abduction-like fashion" in July 2004, said
Leibel. "We believe he was picked off the street in the Vernon area."

Polak was reported missing by a family member last March 21.

Police believe both men were involved in the heroin and cocaine trade.

Polak's criminal record dates to 1992 for uttering threats to cause
death or bodily harm and causing a disturbance.

In 1999 he was convicted of mischief under $5,000.

Polak was back in Cranbrook Provincial Court in May 2000 for breach
of a probation order.

A 20-member RCMP task force was formed in October to investigate the
two disappearances and the five homicides.

- - The decomposed body of Jeffrey Drake, 60, was found on the
shoreline of the Adventure Bay area in August 2004.

- - Thomas Bryce was badly beaten in November 2004 and died in hospital.

- - Robert Hewison's body was found in the Westside Road area last
March. Hewison, 43, from Vancouver, was shot to death. His burnt
truck was also recovered.

- - The body of Ronald Thom was found on Commonage Road south of Vernon
on May 31.

- - Belinda Scott, 39, of Vernon was Thom's girlfriend and disappeared
the day he was found dead. Her decomposed body was found by campers
in a remote area near Hope on Aug. 11.

Vernon Coun. Pat Cochrane said yesterday there is "nothing
extraordinary going on in our community."

But fellow councillor Barry Beardsell said the level of street
prostitution, auto crime and drug houses in Vernon has grown
dramatically over the past few years.

"It's definitely cause for concern. It's frightening," said
Beardsell, who has lived in Vernon since 1973.

"People are starting to notice it because there's so much of it going on."

The city has introduced a bylaw that makes it easier for police to
raid drug houses, and sends letters to men spotted picking up prostitutes.

Beardsell said many residents don't know the depth of the problem.

He said few people were aware that an elderly woman was recently
assaulted and robbed of her purse in a city-owned parkade.

Vernon has a population of 35,000.

Police yesterday released composite sketches of two men who may have
been involved in Marnuik's disappearance.