DEALING WITH DRUG DANGER

For most, walking into a home and discovering a methamphetamine lab
filled with explosive, toxic chemicals is a terrifying thought.

That's the reality for Stratford Police Service officers and,
according to Sgt. Mike Bellai of the drug unit, just part of the job.

"We've received training on clandestine labs, what to do, what not to
do, and we've been provided the equipment here," said Bellai, in an
interview this week.

But does the very real risks of the situation go through an officer's
mind? Absolutely.

After all, anything can be dangerous, said the 15-year veteran of the
force. Do the police take precautions? Again, his response is
"absolutely."

While crystal methamphetamine has been available in the area for some
time, the popular Birch Reduction method of cooking the drug has led
to an increase in labs over the last few years.

Though it's been widely reported over a dozen labs have been found in
the county during that time - putting Perth on the map as the meth
production capital of Ontario - those statistics don't include the
number of partial labs discovered.

"There's labs we go to here that don't fit the criteria of what's
required for the production of a controlled substance," said Bellai,
explaining sometimes only a few chemicals are found.

"If we have anhydrous ammonia and ether, an experienced drug officer
will go in and say, 'There was a methamphetamine lab here.'"

Charges for production cannot be laid unless all essential elements
are present, but legislation is being introduced that may bring forth
a new charge - possession for the production of a controlled substance.

Even when police discover a partial lab, most times there are drugs
nearby - in the home, in a car, on a person.

"The only frustrating part is it's not a charge of production of a
controlled substance but 99.9 per cent of the time you're going to
find methamphetamine," he said. "There's still going to be the drug
there. Would you like to get them for possession for the purpose of
trafficking, would you rather get them for production?

"You'd like to get them for both but it's not always the
case."

Last summer, in a local apartment building, officers found propane
tanks with anhydrous ammonia residue in them, a key ingredient in
manufacturing meth, but nothing else. Garbage bags containing remnants
from meth labs have also been found in city parks.

"We find that stuff here, but who do I charge? Nobody. I haven't
gotten anyone to charge. Was there a meth lab we missed out there?
Sure."

No doubt, the drug unit is kept busy dealing with meth but other drugs
as well, including marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine and
illegally-obtained pharmaceuticals, such as Oxycontin, a synthetic
heroin.

But outside the unit, uniform officers on the street are dealing with
the spin-off crimes that accompany drug addiction - simple thefts,
simple fraud, anything to gather enough money for the next fix.

And once they've found it, officers sometimes spend hours with addicts
they've found stoned on the streets.

"The uniform officers on the street have seen an increase in dealing
with people suffering from methamphetamine psychosis," he said.

If the officers think the person may be a threat to themselves or
others, they accompany them to the hospital, wait until they're seen
by a physician. Sometimes the person is admitted to the hospital,
sometimes they are discharged back to the streets.

"There are two officers that could be tied up for two, three, four
hours because of someone who has used methamphetamine," he said.

The officers also deal with drug-related assault cases, usually
occurring when users can't pay their debts.

"They get beat up and hurt severely," he said. "You can't go to small
claims court to collect on drug debts."

Confident the local response to meth has come in time, as opposed to
British Columbia where many critics said attention came too little too
late, Bellai is pleased with the formation of a provincewide meth task
force, along with the local introduction of the Meth Watch program.

Through Stratford's community services officer and youth officer, he
hopes education programs can stop meth addiction before it starts.

Bellai is also encouraged by the multi-jurisdictional investigations
that have resulted in big busts, like 2004's Project Ozzi, which took
down a major drug ring, seizing thousands in narcotics, firearms and
cash.

But he admits sometimes drug producers and traffickers have the upper
hand. Criminal investigations can be a lengthy process and must be
done by the book. Criminals don't have to follow any guidelines.
There's no book, there's no rules.

The biggest challenge is detecting producers and traffickers early on,
before it's too late.

"Are we ever going to get rid of drugs in society? No," Bellai said.
"Are you ever going to get rid of speeding in society? Are people
going to stop jaywalking? No.

"But do we need to do what we need to do regarding drugs?
Absolutely."

There are sacrifices to be made. Officers sometimes find themselves in
courtrooms on their days off, testifying at hearings and trials. If
you ask them, it comes with the territory. It's part of the job.

A dangerous job where risks sometimes outweigh benefits. For Bellai,
getting just one person off drugs makes everything worth it.

"If you can save one child, one person from using drugs or you save an
addict and they go on to live a productive life, I would suggest
that's pretty successful," he said.

"When you see you've helped someone, you've put someone back on the
right path and you follow through and see them leading a productive
life and being a productive member of society, that's the most
enjoyable aspect of the job."