DRUG CHARGES UP 36% IN '09

Methamphetamine trafficking and use remained a prevalent issue in
Stratford in 2009, but police have not being seeing production of the
highly addictive drug here in the city.

Deputy Police Chief John Bates made the comment Thursday in presenting
an annual report on drug unit occurrences to the Stratford Police
Services Board.

He said there was a significant increase in trafficking and possession
for the purpose of trafficking of the prescription medication Oxycontin.

People obtain the drugs through their doctors, he said, and may then
sell the pills. Some may report their pills have been stolen and
obtain more.

"There's a million scams," the deputy chief said.

Oxycontin abusers remove the sustained-release coating on the
painkiller pills to get a rapid release of the medication to cause a
rush of euphoria similar to heroin.

Drug unit statistics for 2009 indicate 79 persons were charged for
various drug-related activities. Total charges numbered 255 and
included five charges relating to firearms.

There were 50 charges related to meth, 28 to cocaine or crack cocaine
and 45 for marijuana.

Police laid 43 charges relating to prescription medications, nine
charges involved ecstasy and two involved steroids.

While total drug charges were 36 per cent above the 188 reported by
the unit for 2008, the 49 "other criminal code" charges reported for
2009 were just half the number reported for 2008.

In an interview Deputy Chief Bates said he really didn't have an
explanation for why the numbers varied so much from year to year.

"I can tell you that we ran some fairly substantial projects in '09
and garnered some pretty good results," he added.

In some cases multiple charges may be laid in a single case and that
can cause the numbers to increase considerably.

"Sometimes we cast a net and haul in more fish," he said.