RAID PART OF NATIONAL GANG INVESTIGATION

A Maple Ridge business was one of 50 shops and homes across Canada
raided Tuesday morning by the RCMP as part of a 20-month investigation
into organized crime, The TIMES has learned.

The location of the business is not being released, though, because
police say that at this time there is a mountain of evidence to sift
through that's been collected from the 50 locations between B.C. and
Ontario, and it's too early to tell if documents removed from the
local store will result in charges being laid.

"That location was just one of 50 searches so how it fits into the
puzzle we're not at liberty to say," Cpl. David Gray, media relations
officer with the RCMP integrated proceeds of crime section, said in an
interview.

The TIMES, though, was on the scene early Tuesday morning as
plainclothes officers hauled boxes from the store while a uniformed
officer stood guard. Officers at the scene, however, were tight-lipped
when asked what they were looking for inside.

Cpl. Gray said he was also unable to say exactly what police were
looking for locally or from any of the raided sites nationwide. He did
confirm the almost two-year investigation is aimed at organized crime
groups including biker gangs, along with crime outfits formed along
ethnic lines.

"It's traditional and non-traditional gangs," he said.

During the cross-country blitz Tuesday, police collected over 200
boxes full of documents and other evidence and the information is now
being compiled as part of the ongoing investigation.

No arrests have been made.

Along with the piles of evidence, police found a total of$500,000 in
Canadian cash and $100,000 in U.S. currency from the raids across the
country.

Weapons, including nine handguns and 12 rifles, were seized, along
with four marijuana grow operations, eight kilograms of cocaine and a
large quantity of base materials that are commonly used to manufacture
crystal meth and ecstasy.

Overall, the investigation has involved 160 police officers from a
host of detachments here and in Toronto, with special forces and
regular units taking part.

Cpl. Gray said that while no charges have been laid yet, the evidence
found Tuesday has given police a lot to work with and has brought new
information to light.