COPS RIDE THE RAILS

Traffickers Facing Arrest As Police Units Execute Warrants Along SkyTrain

Uniformed, armed police officers from four different Lower Mainland
municipalities will start riding SkyTrain this morning in a united effort
to plug jurisdictional cracks that have made the rapid-transit system a
haven for drug dealers.

Yesterday, the same officers who will be riding the rails today were busy
familiarizing themselves with their new duties by rounding up the suspects.
Police admit many of the accused may make bail and may start dealing again
- -- but they'll find SkyTrain a much less friendly working environment.

"We know who they are, and they'll be arrested and returned to jail," said
Surrey RCMP Supt. Al MacIntyre.

"Sometimes, it's the first go-around, and sometimes it's the second
go-around and sometimes the third. We're all playing on the same team
here."

In the past, police departments in Surrey, Vancouver, New Westminster and
Burnaby have watched, frustrated, as dealers move from town to town with
each successive crackdown.

At a press conference held yesterday to announce the results of a joint
operation between the four departments, Vancouver police Chief Const. Terry
Blythe said authorities are confident they can tackle the problem by
working together.

"The common criminal has no boundaries." said Blythe. "This has been a
collective operation and has been very successful."

"This kind of initiative is in anticipation of a more formal working
agreement."

Yesterday's announcement was the culmination of a plan that began in
November after persistent complaints about dealers from communities up and
down the SkyTrain line.

Many of the accused were refugee claimants, playing the system while police
could do little but bust them, watch them make bail and move a little
farther down the line -- some openly taunting officers as they did so.

RCMP from Burnaby and Surrey agreed to look at a joint solution to the
problem together with the New Westminster and Vancouver municipal police
forces, the immigration department, the federal Crown, TransLink and the
provincial attorney-general's office.

The joint force conducted a month-long undercover operation, which ended
last week. As a result, police identified 157 suspects facing a total of
236 drug-related charges.

Forty per cent are refugee claimants, and 104 of the accused are from
Vancouver.

Blythe said SkyTrain was the main form of transport for about two-thirds of
the suspects. Another 30 per cent were using the bus system.

But citing concerns about an ongoing investigation, police refused to give
any information about the recruiting process, drug suppliers or the links
that may exist between the accused.