CALGARY POLICE CHARGE 14 IN COKE BUST

Worth $8-Million

CALGARY (CNS) - A criminal organization that used hidden compartments
in vehicles to funnel cocaine into the city has taken a hit after a
year-long police investigation led to charges against 12 Calgarians
and two British Columbians.

Police seized 80 kilograms of powder cocaine worth $8-million on the
street -- the largest seizure in Alberta's history. They also seized
four handguns, a rifle, body armour and $330,000 in cash as part of
the inter-provincial investigation.

Operation "High Noon" concluded in early December, but police and the
Crown have been working over the past six months to put together
charges, said Staff Sergeant Darren Cave of the Calgary police drug unit.

Laying charges of conspiracy to traffic cocaine is "significant," he said.

"In order to prove conspiracy, we have to provide evidence there is a
criminal organization at work here."

They also incur stricter penalties; the Crown is looking for 15-to
20-year sentences for the two accused.

Staff Sgt. Cave said some of the suspects charged are believed to
have been involved in the upper echelons of the organized crime
network, and the investigation disrupted its activities.

But, he said, putting a dent into the criminal organization will not
stop it from operating.

"They never really shut down. Criminals, that's all they know," he
said. "They will reorganize and they will start up again; only this
time, we'll be more aware."

And, he added, this is only one cell.

"There are other criminal organizations that continue to operate this
way," he said.

The investigation, which began with a search warrant served on a home
on Hawthorne Drive N. W. in January, 2008, unravelled part of an
organized network that transported "large volumes" of cocaine from B.
C. to Alberta, Staff Sgt. Cave said.

The quantity illustrates the high volume of cocaine coming to
Calgary, he said, noting that much of the drug was staying in the city.

"At the time, these seizures were happening, you have to look at the
economy in Calgary," he said.

In the wake of the seizures, prices for cocaine on the street went
up, he added.

The weapons, body armour and hidden compartments used to transport
the drugs across the province's boundaries speak to the
sophistication Of The Crime Group, Staff Sgt. Cave said.

It took close inspection to detect the large compartments, which were
created strictly to move the drugs, he said.

"It's not just somebody ripping out a seat cover and placing it
underneath the cushion. It goes much beyond that."

In all, police from Victoria, Vancouver and Lethbridge, along with
RCMP officers in Cranbrook and Osoyoos, took part in the operation.

Some of the nearly 80 kilograms of cocaine packaged in one-kilogram
bricks encased in duct tape may have come from as far away as South America.

"Our investigators, their belief is it goes down to the United
States, beyond that to Mexico and South America," Staff Sgt. Cave said.

Praising the work of the various police agencies in cracking down on
this organization, one criminologist said agencies should formalize
the connection.

"It shows a positive move for the combatting of drug trafficking
within Western Canada. They should keep doing this," said Kelly
Sundberg of the Mount Royal College Justice Studies program.

However, he added, it is a concern the drug is even making it into the country.

The involvement of police in Victoria suggests the cocaine may be
transported from Mexico along the coast -- avoiding the United States
- -- and coming in through Victoria, he said, adding he believes the
lack of marine border security on the coast leaves an "open gate for
drug smugglers."

Of the 14 charged, two have already been sentenced to prison terms.
The rest of the cases are still before the courts.