DRUGS, GUNS GO HAND IN HAND

Eastern N.B. RCMP Say Firearms A Big Part Of Booming Drug Trade

Kent RCMP Sgt. Darrell Marchand recalls that many years ago, his
detachment had a wall set aside in the evidence room for firearms.

Seized rifles and guns would be hung on pegs on the wall until they
were needed for court, returned to their owners or forfeited and
destroyed. These days, things are a little more crowded.

"Right now in the bond room I have two walls full (of firearms), plus
one wall in another bond room," says Marchand, a 35-year police
veteran set to retire in April. "And that doesn't count the firearms
that are on the shelves."

Marchand attributes some of the seizures to changes in firearms
regulations over the years. These days, gun owners need to have their
rifles and guns properly registered and securely stored or they can
be charged with a criminal offence. That results in police seizing
more firearms.

But a more disturbing reason for the increase in guns seized is the
fact they are popular among drug traffickers and the drug trade is
booming in New Brunswick. Marchand says police are seeing more and
more drug cases these days.

"Any time we search for drugs, a good part of the time we'll find
firearms, especially with drug traffickers," says Marchand. "They're
not the cream of society. They deal in drugs and people get ripped
off and debts need to be paid."

Marchand says there's no easy explanation why police are seeing more
drug cases these days other than the fact it's a lucrative business.

"It doesn't take much effort to have a little grow-op outside," says
the sergeant.

A look at J Division RCMP's website backs Marchand's claim that the
drug trade in New Brunswick is a busy one and police are battling
hard against it. Since the beginning of February there have been news
releases posted relating to 15 different drug cases from every corner
of the province. Many of the drug seizures also involved the seizure
of firearms.

Caledonia RCMP Sgt. Maurice Comeau says in his 20 years on the job,
he doesn't think there's been an increase in the use of firearms in
general. But he agrees with Marchand that there is more drug activity
these days and that means more firearms in the hands of criminals.

"I think the drug problem has gotten bigger, so we do see more
firearms being seized when we do raids and we do more of those now,"
says Comeau. "In that way we are seeing more firearms when we're
dealing with drugs."

Sometimes the firearms are seized during drug raids on homes, other
times they're actually used during the commission of a crime. Last
September in Bouctouche, shots were fired at two different houses
four days apart. Police made arrests and the matter was believed to
be connected with the drug trade.

This week's shooting death in Shediac and home invasion in Moncton
with shots fired have so far not been tied to the drug trade, but
Marchand says drugs and gun crime have become so linked, many people
will jump to that conclusion before the facts are in.

While police seize the occasional handgun, it's most often rifles and
shotguns that are seized in drug raids because they are more easy to
come by. Those firearms are not often registered. "The people we
search for drugs don't register their guns," says Comeau.

When asked if the national firearms registry is helping keep guns off
the street, Comeau says it's a big asset when police are responding
to a call at a residence and need to know if there are registered
firearms inside. But when dealing with drug traffickers, it's
unlikely they would follow firearms regulations.

"No matter what registry you have in place, criminals are not going
to register firearms, so it doesn't make a difference," says Comeau.

When police seize firearms used in a crime, they try to trace the
serial numbers to find out where they came from and if they're
stolen. They also check them against unsolved crimes involving shots
fired to see if there's a match.

When firearms are ordered forfeited by the court, they are handed
over to New Brunswick's chief firearms officer for destruction.