MISTER BIGSLIVE HERE

An RCMP report into the Canadian drug trade reveals that much of the
world's drug trade, not just Canada's, is centred right here in B.C.

This comes as little surprise to Langley residents, who are coming to
realize that the peace and quiet usually associated with this area is
somewhat illusory.

Consider just a few recent incidents.

There is the shooting in Willoughby, referred to in a column on this
page. It happened on Thursday.

There was the shootout involving a Langley man taking his son to D.W.
Poppy Secondary School on Sept. 11. This man, driving a Hummer, was
targeted by two to three suspects, who got out of a vehicle and fired
numerous rounds at the vehicle. The man was injured and the Hummer
crashed into a ditch.

This shootout took place as children were on their way to a nearby
elementary school.

On Oct. 16, police discovered a meth lab at a Brookswood home after
they followed a suspect in a stolen car to the address. They also
discovered numerous high-powered weapons, along with a high-tech
security and surveillance system in the rented home.

Other than the man driving the stolen car, no one was charged - and
the meth lab is believed to have gone back into operation within days.

In all three of these cases, there was significant risk - not just to
the occupants of these homes or vehicles, but also to the people who
live nearby. While it cannot be categorically proven that two of the
three incidents are drug-related, it's a pretty safe guess that the
targeted shootings weren't over a spilled cup of coffee.

There have been many busts over the years in Langley - grow-ops, meth
labs and other drug factories. In July, 2005, three men were charged
and later convicted after Canadian and U.S. authorities discovered a
tunnel dug from a Langley home to another one on the U.S. side of the
border. Its purpose - to get drugs into the U.S. without detection.

Is B.C. at the centre of the world drug trade? Absolutely.