RCMP CRACK DOWN ON DRUGS IN TOWN

Mayerthorpe RCMP took a bite out of the drug crime in town when they
executed a search warrant on a rumored drug house in town.

Four people have been charged with trafficking related offenses after
police searched a Town residence in the early hours of December 8th.

"When we entered the house we found several people using crack cocaine
at that time," commented Sergeant Mark Mathias with the Mayerthorpe
RCMP. Four suspects have been charged and were later released.

Although Mathias was not able to comment too specifically about what
was found in the residence, he did say that the evidence gathered was
related to the use and distribution of crack cocaine.

"Over time we have been receiving information about drug trafficking
going on at the residence,' said Mathias adding that the RCMP used
several different techniques to gather enough information to execute a
search warrant, but the public definitely played their part.

"That's always a big part of these things," he said. "Even general
information [is helpful] from people who don't know a lot, but do have
some reliable information. We may not be able to act on it right away,
but it helps us down the road when we go to get a search warrant. The
more we have on record in the way of information and intelligence on
the place, or a person, it helps us to make a more solid search
warrant and to get entry into these places."

Mathias said that he hopes these arrests will send a strong message
that the RCMP is serious about fighting Mayerthorpe's drug issue.

"Drug use and drug distribution is always a problem," Mathias said.
"It creates other issues within the town, such as theft to get money
for drugs. Some of the stories you hear are just amazing of people
stealing from their own family or break and enters in town to get
funding for drugs. If we can get into these houses where they are
selling drugs and shut them down, obviously it is only a benefit for
the town as a whole."

Mathias encourages parents to attend the drug seminar that Town
Council plans to host in the New Year.

"Often it is not because of ignorance but just the fact that you can't
be with your kids 24 hours a day and you can't always know what is
going on either with them or with their friends," he explained. "You
can't know what they are exposed to on a daily basis. These kinds of
information sessions are really excellent for teaching people what to
look for. It's even the smallest things: changes in sleeping habits
and things like that. Parents may attribute it to something else or
parents may miss them if they don't have the information provided to
them."