POLICE WORK TO GET BAD DRUGS OFF STREET

RCMP are following up every possible lead in an effort to get a bad
batch of crack cocaine off the street before more people are killed.

A 24-year-old sex trade worker and a 33-year-old man died less than
48 hours apart. With no sign of foul play, investigators suspect both
victims died of a drug overdose.

The woman was identified as Theresa Peterson. The man has not been
identified yet.

The two deaths prompted police to ask street nurses and staff at ASK
Wellness Centre to warn those who use drugs to avoid using crack
cocaine until further notice, Const. Pat Nagy said Wednesday.

"If you're going to be in that situation, you better know where you
got the drugs from," said Nagy.

The warning was echoed by Bob Hughes, executive director of ASK. He
said notices about the bad crack are posted on the centre's
Tranquille Road windows and being passed on to clients by staff.
Warnings have been made to residents at Henry Leland House and
Crossroads Inn downtown.

People on the street are also taking the initiative. Hughes said
clients came in talking about the bad crack cocaine Tuesday. That
information was passed on to police and fuelled the warning.

The centre was void of clients Wednesday. Hughes said people are
likely lying low.

Nagy said several tips were made to police Wednesday morning and
investigators are closing in on possible suspects.

She couldn't comment further, citing an ongoing investigation.

"Everything is still in the early stages," said Nagy.

Staff Sgt. Garry Kerr is head of Kamloops RCMP's serious crime unit.
He said there is a chance the deaths are not related.

"It's a little bit of a coincidence when you get two (overdose
deaths) that close together," he said.

Toxicology tests on both victims are expected back in four to six
weeks. Kerr and Hughes said the victims are part of the street community.

Sources have suggested the bad crack is laced with rat poison.

Kerr said there is nothing to suggest that dealers are panicking at
the possibility of their cocaine supply running out after a massive
drug bust in Port Hardy on March 6.

However, he said it is within the realm of possibility.

The 1,001 kilograms of cocaine, worth "hundreds of millions of
dollars" on the street, was seized when police arrested two men at
the Port Hardy dock.

A man collecting bottles discovered Peterson's body in an alley
stairwell behind a vacant business on the 500 block of Tranquille Sunday night.

The man was found dead at the Village Hotel Tuesday morning.
Witnesses told police he had been drinking homemade wine, taking
pills and smoking crack cocaine.

Peterson lived in Kamloops, but was from the Chase area.

Anyone with information is asked to phone Kamloops RCMP at
250-828-3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.