NEW DRUGS EMERGING IN LOCAL SCENE

Coke Still Common but Crystal Meth Becoming an Issue in Community

The Booster recently sat down with Lloydminster RCMP Const. Eldon
Chillog, of General Investigative Section, to discuss the realities
of the 'game,' the drug scene in Lloydminster.

Similar to how gangs change in communities, so do the drugs people
want to purchase.

Though Lloydminster's drug scene has been mostly driven by cocaine,
according to Lloydminster RCMP Const. Eldon Chillog, things are changing.

Through their travels and efforts crystal meth is emerging as a new
drug in the game in Lloydminster.

"We have to prioritize where our time goes," said Chillog. "Meth
moves us right up to the top. We will hear that and that is something
we will put our efforts into."

Chillog said crystal meth has caused large problems for other
communities and its effects can be devastating.

"We're trying really hard to keep meth out of this city," said
Chillog. "For the most part Lloyd hasn't been a meth driven city, it
has been a cocaine driven city and now, with us hearing a lot more in
the city and seeing some of it too, we are on alert."

While the drug is just emerging, in the sense that seizures have been
small, it can be representative of a growing trend.

"It is smaller type seizures at this point, but that is how it
starts," said Chillog. "We're seeing certain type dealers who maybe
were carrying coke, people are asking for meth now. The dealer
becomes a hodgepodge dealer and may as well carry the drug."

The General Investigative Section is still hard at work getting the
drugs off the city's streets, no matter what they are, but meth has
the potential to cause a significant amount of damage.

"In the past few days in our travels, without any targeted action, we
have seized drugs from five individuals," said Chillog. "It was not
even looking for people, it was just what we noticed out on the
street, it is what anyone can notice."

Addictions like coke or meth can become expensive habits and as such
people turn to petty theft to get their next fix.

"At the base level of drug usage are people buying it," said Chillog
adding businesses can experience small petty thefts and may not want
to bother the police with it. "If a business owner feels there is a
connection to drugs and the person standing in front of them, now
caught stealing, is involved in the drug culture, they should be
talking to us and letting us know what is going on."

This type of information can be very beneficial to GIS investigations
because it may lead to other things.

"If these are things we could know about, we could handle it, we see
these types of things all the time," said Chillog. "They can make a
difference just by simply calling us and reporting it. We need to
have an empowerment of the community. I can only be as effective as
the community will let me be."

Chillog and the police would like all community members to report
anything they think is odd. People can call the detachment at (306)
825-6350 and ask to speak to someone in General Investigative
Section. They will have no problem talking to people and getting a
better understanding of the situation. There are things the police
can do to help keep people safe from retribution for reporting
something, including crime stoppers.

"We have to take a whole bunch of different pieces of information and
then somehow mold it into a viable investigation," said Chillog.
"Once that investigation gets going that is when one thing leads to
another. We need an initiation point or that last piece of
information. To a person it may just be something that isn't right,
but to us it may be that last piece of the puzzle. People can be a
part of problem solving the issue."