GANGS DOWN BUT NOT OUT: EXPERT

Arrests in the Surrey Six slayings are a high-profile coup for police
but may do little to slow ongoing Lower Mainland gang violence or the
underlying drug trade.

That's the forecast from SFU gangs expert Rob Gordon.

"If people think that this is in some way going to affect organized
crime operations in this province then they're sadly mistaken," he
said. "It is by no means over."

Gordon, director of the university's school of criminology, said
there's still "colossal demand" for illicit drugs that fuel gangs.

He said the conflict between groups is likely to continue, although a
lull in activity is possible.

Police last week arrested Red Scorpion gang member Dennis Karbovanec,
who has pleaded guilty to three charges of second-degree murder and
one charge of conspiracy to commit murder in the October 2007
killings that targeted members of the UN Gang but also ended in the
deaths of two innocent men.

Karbovanec is expected to testify for the Crown against three former
associates, including James Bacon, who are now charged with
first-degree murder.

"It's an important move," Gordon said, adding he doesn't want to rain
on the investigation's success. "It's removed some apparently nasty
individuals from the street."

But he said Karbovanec and the other men, although high profile,
weren't key players in the region's drug trade.

"It is clear we are part of a very entrenched north-south drug trade
that is continental in nature and is not going to be affected by what
in the grand scheme of things are fairly minor operations in British Columbia."

Gordon said a disruption of local gangs can reduce supply and push up
the price of drugs on the street, making the trade even more lucrative.

"In some quarters, the cheers are going up," he said.

Any vacuum in the business here will soon be filled as other players
step up, he added.

He also cautioned against assuming Karbovanec's testimony will lead
to convictions against the other three.

Gordon said defence lawyers can be expected to shower doubt on the
credibility of a self-confessed murderer who turned on his partners
to reduce his own sentence.

He said investigators' aim of a deal with Karbovanec now explains why
police were so keen to protect him prior to making arrests.