CRIMINAL CHARGES PILING UP

SASKATOON -- A year after a well-publicized raid on organized crime in
Saskatchewan, officials with the RCMP and the Saskatoon and Regina
police services say they have laid 377 charges against 73 people in
Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

They have also seized or retained half a million dollars of property
- -- including two residences and a commercial property in Saskatoon and
two acreages in B.C., said Heather Russell, a spokesperson for the
RCMP.

But, while the focus last year was directed toward raids on the Hells
Angels clubhouse in Holiday Park, neither Saskatoon Insp. Lorne
Constantinoff nor RCMP Corp. Brian Jones would identify the biker
group as the main organization around organized crime in
Saskatchewan.

Under the Criminal Code, organized crime charges can be laid whenever
three or more people working together profit from criminal activities,
Jones said.

Although the multi-year, three-department investigation also resulted
in the confiscation of some marijuana, cocaine and marijuana growing
equipment, the police couldn't say how much drugs were taken nor would
they identify the people who are being charged. Of the 73 people
facing charges, 38 will have to answer to charges they were involved
in a criminal organization, Jones said.

Constantinoff pointed out that a number of people will be appearing in
court this month to face charges related to the joint investigation.
These include court appearances beginning on Thursday and taking place
on Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan. 21 and June 22, where the charged
individuals will be asked to enter pleas.

Most of the charges are either related to being involved in organized
crime or in the illegal drug trade. The police typically don't release
the names of people until after they make a court appearance.

Although a trial has also been set for February, names haven't been
released in this case either, Jones said.

This week's anniversary marks the third year the joint task force has
been working on organized crime in Saskatchewan, they said. There are
about 30 officers from the three departments working on organized
crime on a full-time basis and on occasion -- such as the January,
2003 raid -- there have been as many as 250 police involved at once,
Constantinoff said.

And while the value of the seized property is about $500,000, it will
be up to the courts to decide whether it will be returned or
confiscated, Jones said. Under the Criminal Code, the courts can rule
that the government can take property acquired with money stemming
from crime.

The three properties in Saskatoon represent the first time this law
was applied in Saskatchewan, according to investigators from the task
force.

This week's announcement wasn't intended to state how much drugs or
property has been taken in the three years of police work, but rather
to focus on the existence of organized crime in Saskatchewan
communities, Jones said.

It was also meant to give the message to those involved in this
activity that it doesn't pay, he added.

In 2002, a report from the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC)
indicated Saskatoon was fast turning into an important centre for
organized crime. It stated Saskatchewan, "particularly Saskatoon," is
experiencing an increase in the presence of cocaine, ecstasy and
marijuana imported from British Columbia by trafficking rings
associated with Asian-based organized crime groups and outlaw
motorcycle gangs such as the Hells Angels, which officially came to
the city on Sept. 18, 1998.

In December, Const. Grant Obst, a community liaison officer in
Saskatoon, went to council to ask for the money to create a
quick-reaction unit to combat a growing problem with street gangs.
Although there have been claims the street gangs may be involved in
the distribution of drugs, the organized crime task force is separate
from the quick-reaction unit, Constantinoff said.

But the task force has demonstrated the value of the multi-force
co-operation, he said.

"This is a situation where the left hand does know what the right hand
is doing," he said. "We get to pool our resources (so) we and the
public get good value for taxpayers' dollars."