RESIDENTS LAUD DRUG BUSTS

Residents of a crime-afflicted North End neighbourhood say they
already feel safer after cops raided eight houses and arrested 20
people in a three-day drug and firearms sweep last week.

Staff Sgt. Bud Guest, of the Winnipeg police street crimes unit, said
officers from his unit, along with members of the morals unit, green
team and the heavily armed emergency response unit, carried out
Project SCAT between Aug. 8-10, cleaning out seven drug hubs and
completely shutting another down.

Searches of the homes on Manitoba, Selkirk, Boyd, Aberdeen, and Flora
Avenues, as well as Dorothy Street, turned out more than $22,000 in
crack cocaine and marijuana, a sawed-off shotgun, a .22-calibre rifle
and a small amount of cash, Guest said.

A 1997 Chevy Malibu, believed to be involved in drug-running, was also seized.

Guest said the raids were not in direct response to -- but were
definitely products of -- the recent drug-related gun violence in the area.

Despite cops' success, Guest said officers realize three days is not
enough and promised more drug houses will be cleaned out in the coming months.

'Reluctance'

That's music to the ears of Meranva Merlin, co-chair of a
community-based patrol group that's seen few problems on streets
since last weekend. "The residents we have taking a stand and the
police that have been around have created a greater reluctance for
criminals," she said.

The 20 arrested were charged with numerous drug, firearm, and parole
violation charges. A 46-year-old man not involved in any of the
warrants was also arrested after confronting officers during the
Dorothy Street raid. He is charged with two counts of assaulting a
peace officer, two counts of assault with a weapon and obstructing a
peace officer.