NEW WEST COPS CRACK DOWN ON DRUG DEALERS

A four-day-long undercover operation in New Westminster's downtown
area resulted in a dozen drug trafficking arrests.

"Most of those charged are already well known to police," said Staff
Sgt. Casey Dehaas of the crime clean-up around the downtown SkyTrain
stations.

Police noticed an increase in drug selling since the start of the
year. Merchants and residents in the area also complained about the
resurgence in criminal activity.

Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby have all carried out crime crackdowns in
their cities and some of those suspects have moved into New
Westminster, said Dehaas. "These people have to go somewhere.

The undercover operation involved bringing in police from other cities
and police forces, including the RCMP. Outside police were needed to
make the operation successful because most of the local drug dealers
"know who we are," said Dehaas.

While New West police have carried out crime crackdowns in the past,
they're noticing differences in the way drugs are being sold. No
longer are the dealers strictly doing their business in and around the
SkyTrain stations. Instead, many of them can be found in the
surrounding areas where they're less visible, said Dehaas .

Also, the smarter ones don't have any drugs with them. They act as a
contact person, taking the money from the buyer then using their cell
phone to call in another person who delivers the drugs. There are also
"dial-a-dopers" who deliver drugs when contacted on their cell phones.
They change their phone number frequently to avoid the police.

Drug dealers are getting more and more sophisticated, said Dehaas, so
police are finding other ways to target them.

The "buy and bust" operation was assisted by the new four-member bike
squad, which has been cycling the streets on mountain bikes.

"Our goal is we don't want these people to set up shop here," said
Dehaas of the operation, which ran Aug. 9-12.

Those arrested and charged were given "no go" restrictions intended to
keep them out of the area they were arrested in. The courts often
follow the police restrictions up with an order.