TEEN DRUG DEALERS PEDDLING HARDER PRODUCT

A teenager was carrying $2,000 in cash when he was arrested recently by
the Surrey RCMP drug section at a local crack house.

Police arrested other youngsters at the same site, some as young as 16,
many apparently working as runners for a dial-a-dope operation that served
Surrey and other Metro Vancouver communities.

There have been at least three incidents in the last two weeks where
Surrey Mounties have arrested unusually young people for drug dealing.

During another raid, a 17- and 19-year-old were arrested on charges of
possession for the purposes of trafficking.

Surrey RCMP Sgt. Roger Morrow says the teen criminals are selling harder
stuff.

"It's not just a matter of kids selling a poor grade of marijuana (any
more)."

Morrow says investigators have noticed people are getting into the drug
lifestyle earlier and deeper than a few years ago.

In one recent case, Morrow says, a group of teenage buddies from a Surrey
high school decided to go into business together after they graduated.

They gave themselves a gang name and started peddling high-grade marijuana
and crack cocaine supplied by an older established dealer.

"We need to make (drug dealing) as unacceptable as cigarette smoking has
become" Morrow commented.

Police hope to keep some teens out of the gang lifestyle with the recently
announced "Wraparound" program that aims to identity at-risk public school
students between the ages of 11 and 17..

Working with school authorities and the Integrated Gang Task Force, Surrey
RCMP are developing a list of 60 Surrey school district students who are
involved in gangs, display gang "wannabe" behaviour, or other risk
factors.

It aims to "wrap" them with a network of support and encouragement inside
and outside school.

A federally-funded team of five full-time Surrey school district staff
trained in youth intervention strategies and three full-time police
officers from the BC Integrated Gang Task Force and Surrey RCMP will
assess students and prepare individualized support plans.

Since the program was announced last month, about a dozen students have
been identified as candidates.