CRACK FOUND IN MIDLAND

SIMCOE COUNTY -- Crack cocaine is here and has been for some time, while
crystal methamphetamine, the drug of choice in the United States and western
Canada, is slowly creeping into Ontario, say police.

According to Huronia Combined Forces Drug Unit statistics, Midland alone has
tripled the amount of crack cocaine seized already this year compared to
that confiscated in the entire county last year.

Midland police arrested and charged three people with possession of cocaine
for the purpose of trafficking Aug. 22, around 11 p.m., in the Galloway
Boulevard-Algonquin Drive area following an investigation. The trio -- two
people from the Toronto area and another of no fixed address -- was
allegedly found with two ounces of crack and a sum of money.

Midland Police Service Det. Const. Chris Quesnelle, a two-year member of the
Huronia drug unit and one of the arresting officers, said crack -- sometimes
referred to as 'rock' -- is more prevalent today than it has been in recent
years.

"We've had a large influx of crack cocaine in our community in the last year
and a half," said Quesnelle, "and obviously it has an impact on our
community.

"There has been a dramatic increase in these types of drugs," added
Quesnelle, Midland's main drug cop. "Over the last year and a half or so
there has been more people coming from Toronto to supply the crack. A year
and a half or two years ago, it was more of a surprise than it is now."

But Midland is not alone in its fight against debilitating hard drugs.

"(Crack cocaine) is becoming a problem in small-town everywhere," said Insp.
Mike Osborne from Midland Police Service.

Det. Sgt. Jamie Ciotka, commander of the Huronia Combined Forces Drug Unit
for the last three years, said "crack is the problem. Crystal meth isn't
here yet, and hopefully we won't see it. But crack is something that's quite
prevalent."

"We're seeing it everywhere, whereas crystal meth, not as much, thank God,"
said Ciotka.

"Crack cocaine is here now and it's something we'd never seen in the last
few years, but it's definitely here now," Ciotka added.

Both crack and crystal meth possess euphoric qualities when smoked. Crack is
cocaine in rock form, usually "cooked up" with baking soda, Ciotka said.

"When you light it to smoke it, it burns off all the impurities so it's pure
cocaine," he said.

A crack cocaine high can last about two hours, costing between $50 and $80,
said Ciotka. But like many hard drugs, the user builds up an immunity to the
quantity being smoked so each time more is required to get a bigger high.

"This is why it's very scary," said Ciotka.

In comparing crack and crystal meth, for the same amount of money the length
of high varies widely between the two narcotics, he said. While a crack
cocaine high can last about two hours, a person can be high on crystal meth
for between two and 16 hours.

Crystal meth's not only hazardous to the user but also a volatile substance
to make.

"The chemicals required to make it are very explosive," said Ciotka, noting
those products are also easily accessible.

To prevent crystal meth from becoming rife in the province, some have called
for stronger regulations in obtaining products containing pseudoephedrine,
one of the main ingredients in producing the drug.

While crystal meth isn't being seen much yet in Simcoe County, it has become
a popular drug in western Canada and is slowly making its way into western
Ontario, Ciotka said. It's the drug of choice in the United States.

Crystal meth -- colourless and odourless -- is also known on the street as
crank, meth, tweak and ice. It resembles small fragments of glass or shiny
blue-white rocks.

Ciotka said the hard drugs tend to come in from the U.S. to metropolitan
centres like Toronto with large airports, up to larger urban centres like
Barrie and then fan out into the county.

"The bulk of crack cocaine would come from the Toronto area where it's
produced," said Barrie City Police Chief Wayne Frechette. "It's not produced
here in Barrie."

Frechette said his officers are dealing with crack cases regularly, but
crystal meth is coming down the pipe, so to speak, invading the local drug
scene.

"Predominantly crack is present, but crystal meth is also becoming more of a
drug of choice," said Frechette.

"(Crystal meth) is becoming more and more a fact of life out on the street,"
said the chief. "If you'll sell one, you'll sell the other. It's not going
away."

Frechette said crack has been on the drug scene "for quite a considerable
amount of time -- it's nothing new -- but we are seeing more firearms
involved with crack, which is disturbing on a number of levels."

Crack and guns is a "lethal combination," said Frechette, adding it's
disturbing to see firearms show up during drug busts, sometimes where
dealers are packing semi-automatic handguns similar to those holstered by
the cops themselves.

"It seems to be that anyone selling crack has a gun or has access to a gun,"
said Frechette, noting a recent drug bust in downtown Barrie where one
person was carrying a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun which can hold
anywhere from 10 to 12 rounds.

"That's extremely upsetting," said Frechette. "He's got that for a reason."