POLICE REVEAL RESULTS OF PROJECT ADDICT

Lethbridge city police sunk their teeth into drug dealers last year
but admit they likely didn't take much of a bite out of a growing problem.

Police revealed Tuesday the results of Project Addict, a year-long
crack-down on major drug traffickers and marijuana growers.

It resulted in 102 criminal charges against 35 people with a total of
more thant $685,000 in drugs and drug money seized.

"This identified just how much is out there. We still have a long
ways to go." said Staff Sgt John Rafa.

Those comments were echoed by Sgt. Dennis goff, who led Project
Addict.

"I don't think it's made a major impact on the market," he
said.

While Rafa said more manpower wouldnt hurt given the labour-intensive
nature of such investigations, he said the answer to the problem is
likely out of their hands.

"Probably a change in legislation would make the biggst impact on
this," he said, adding more severe penalties might act as a deterrent
in what's outherwise a lucrative field.

The way the court system deals with drug offenders is one of the reasons
Project Addict targeted those higher up in the food chain, so to speak.

Goff said arresting the user or street-level dealer doesn't achieve
much in the long run in that they receive even lighter court sentences
than "major players".

As for the scope of the problem, Rafa points to the fact there were a
total of 112 drug charges in 1996, and 139 last year. He thinks the
drug scene is growing with the city, and says that increase is likely
in line with what other cities are experiencing.

Painting a picture of the average drug user is not an easy task, said
Rafa. "It varies, but it pretty well covers the spectrum from kids to
businessmen." he said.

As for the traffickers, the majority of those arrested were locals.
In contract, Goff said the source of most of those illegal drugs is
either B.C. or Calgary.

Marijuana still appears to be the drug of choice, although other drugs
are making a definite inroad.

Project Addict resulted in the seizure of more than 400 pot plants
with a street value of more than $400,000, as well as more than 7,300
grams of cut plants worth an additional $78,000.

Goff said most of the pot grown locally is through indoor grow
operations, and approximately $16,000 worth of such equipment was also
seized.

Police are seeing more cocaine flow into the city and Rafa said that's
likely because of its growing popularity as well as our proximity to
Calgary, where the narcotic has long been entrenched.

"It's been around for a number of years but now it's as easy to get
coke as it is marijuana," he said of Lethbridge.

Almost 380 grams of cocaine, worth almost $38,000 on the street, was
seized in Project Addict.

Goff said his undercover officers also saw more crack cocaine and
recreational hallucinogens like Ecstacy than in the past, and even
some heroin, which has been rare here.

There was also more than $33,000 worth of illegal steroids seized, and
almost $54,000 in drug money.

Some of the police raids this past year saw not only drugs seized, but
also high-powered weapons. Rafa said violence is always a possibility
when it comes to drug dealers.

"Any narcotics, including marijuana, is very lucrative and people tend
to protect their investment," said Goff.