DRUGS, WEAPONS SEIZED

Police Hope for More Money to Extend Operation Clean Sweep

WINNIPEG - police seized more than five kilograms of crack cocaine,
marijuana and magic mushrooms in a pair of Operation Clean Sweep-aided
searches, at a time when the city is thinking about adding money to
the annual law-enforcement budget.

In pair of separate searches -- Saturday at a Burrows Avenue home and
Thursday at an Academy Road apartment -- police nabbed 2.5 kilograms
of psylocibin, 1.6 kilos of crack, 866 grams of marijuana and a small
amount of steroids, Patrol Sgt. Kelly Dennison said yesterday.

Along with the drugs, which have a combined estimated street value of
$148,000, police recovered a stolen handgun, swords, knives,
martial-arts weapons and $3,875 in cash at the two Winnipeg locations.

The Crescentwood search was made by members of Operation Clean Sweep,
the $1.6 million, 45-officer street-crime task force created in the
wake of the October shooting death of innocent pedestrian Philippe
Haiart in the West End.

The North End bust also resulted from information collected by the
task force, which is slated to be disbanded on Feb. 21.

As the mayor's cabinet begins to crunch the numbers for city's annual
operating budget, police are quietly hoping for more money to extend
Operation Clean Sweep.

"I think that's fair to say," said Coun. Russ Wyatt, who is not privy
to the initial budget discussions but made a motion before council
last week to make the task force permanent.

"We should not wind down the program and then evaluate the program. We
should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time," said the
Transcona councillor, whose motion will be discussed at a Feb. 8
meeting by council's protection and community services.

Wyatt wants to see Operation Clean Sweep funded without drawing
financial resources away from other police programs, as is currently
the case. The task force was founded in November with $800,000 from
existing police coffers and another $800,000 in new money.

The mayor's cabinet is close to completing a draft of the city capital
budget, but an early look at the operating budget is not expected
until later in February.

"Let' keep the pressure on the criminal element in this city, with an
operation that's obviously been successful," Wyatt said.

During the first six weeks of Operation Clean Sweep, the task force
made 257 arrests.

This latest pair of seizures resulted in four more: At Academy Road, a
22-year-old male was charged with 19 drug and weapons offences, while
on Burrows Avenue, three men aged 28, 29 and 55 face trafficking charges.