POLICE SEIZE 107,000 ECSTASY PILLS

Some of the tablets have the Olympic rings logo embossed on
them

The Olympic motto - faster, higher, stronger - has taken on a new
meaning with the latest drug bust in Vancouver.

Of the 107,000 ecstasy pills seized by Vancouver police on Wednesday,
roughly half of the brightly coloured pills are stamped with the
Olympic rings logo.

"Ecstasy pills typically have some kind of an imprint on them," said
Insp. Brad Desmarais.

"In this case, some of them had the Olympic rings and some had the
peace symbol on them."

Desmarais, head of the Vancouver Police Department's gangs and drugs
unit, said it was the fifthlargest drug haul he could remember in VPD
history.

"These imprints are all new to us," he said.

Desmarais said larger busts have been made in the past.

"So, we do not believe that this is a sign of an upsurge before the
Olympics," he said.

Police received a call at 7:20 a.m. Wednesday of a home invasion in
progress at a house in the 4300block Nanaimo Street.

When police arrived, they noticed the door had been kicked
in.

"As we were setting up containment, a male walked out front and he was
taken into custody," said Desmarais.

A second man inside also was detained, he said.

After obtaining a search warrant, the police re-entered the home and
discovered the contraband pills, valued at more than $1 million, and
170 grams of cocaine.

Officers determined one of the men was intoxicated and had lost his
keys, so he kicked in the door to gain entry.

Charges are pending against the two men, aged 27 and 28, who were
released with a number of conditions, including not being found in any
nightclubs or raves - common sites where the illegal drug is sold.