COPS 1, CRACKHEADS 0

Explosions Jolted A Downtown Street Thursday As Heavily Armed Police Took
Down Another Crackhouse

Eight members of the Emergency Response Team drove up to 1468 Bertram
St. at 5:30 p.m. and fired two small explosive devices to divert the
attention of the couple inside. Minutes later, officers escorted a
woman and man from the house to their patrol cars and drove away

One woman was about to get into her car 40 metres away when she heard
the first explosion

"It was really loud. I ran over here (behind the car). I was scared
because I didn't know if it was shots," she said. An older man living
down the street said the home has been a crackhouse for at least a
month

He said customers buy crack cocaine there as early as 4 or 5 a.m. each
day

"It can get very active. They're almost lining up. Some guy even
brought his 11- or 12-year-old kid to watch for cops. He couldn't get
past the front step without lighting up," he said

Members of Kelowna's drug section had been watching the house and
obtained a search warrant, said Insp. Steve McVarnock. A recent
roundup of drug dealers focused on City Park, Kerry Park and Bertram
Street, a seemingly quiet street with law-abiding residents

"The majority of our focus was close to the downtown core. There's
been some activity on this street," he said

A woman said some of the ERT members were dressed in full body armour
carrying weapons and hanging out of the pickup as they pulled up to
the house

"It was very surreal," she said.