GANG ACTIVITY ON THE RISE IN GP: RCMP

Asian gangs are spreading their "tentacles" out from Alberta's major cities
and trying to take a piece of Grande Prairie's lucrative drug trade, say
law-enforcement officials.

A number of "significant" cocaine busts by Mounties in the city over the
past few months have been traced back to Asian organized crime groups, said
Staff Sgt. Curtis Zablocki of the Grande Prairie RCMP.

"Recently we've made some arrests in connection to drug trafficking
activity and we've determined these people are from larger centres... and
are linked to organized crime in those areas," said Zablocki.

Gary Buss, operations manager for the Criminal Intelligence Service of
Alberta, said it's no secret Asian gangs have been branching out of larger
cities into communities like Grande Prairie.

"The Asian organized crime groups that operate in the major cities have
definitely spread their tentacles," he said, adding that cities like Fort
McMurray and Lethbridge are also likely targets for their expansion. "This
has been going on for a while. Certainly it is true the groups have been
looking at these communities."

CISA named Asian organized crime groups as the "most violent" in the
province in its 2003-2004 annual report, citing murders and assaults in
Calgary and Edmonton.

Asian gangs are involved in a range of criminal activities, including
drug-trafficking, theft, robbery, extortion, loan-sharking, and large-scale
financial frauds, said Buss.

They dominate street-level cocaine sales in Alberta's urban centres with a
distribution network that is "second to none," according to the CISA report.

Buss also estimated that about 80 per cent of marijuana grow operations in
Northern Alberta are under the control of Asian gangs.

And unlike notorious, high-profile groups like the Hells Angels, Asian
gangs tend to keep a lower profile.

Police usually identify the gangs by the names of their leaders, which they
don't share with the public, said Buss. Zablocki added that Asian gangs are
often smaller than other organized crime groups, and harder to identify.

"Some of the Asian gangs are on a smaller scale and aren't as well known
and present themselves in a lower key or lower-level format. They're
smaller groups," he said.

Though violence has erupted in Edmonton and Calgary during clashes between
rival Asian gangs - including drive-by shootings and murders - Buss said he
doesn't see that happening in Grande Prairie any time soon.

"Because everything is relatively new there... maybe the level of violence
we've seen won't happen," he said.

Organized crime groups could have several reasons for wanting to expand
their drug networks out of the big cities and into the Peace Country.

"There is a viable market for the commodity they're involved with... It
also might be a case of less competition than in larger centres," said
Zablocki. "Organized crime is certainly attracted to economically strong
communities."

Police here have so far found a link between Asian gangs and the drug
trade, but it's also likely they'll take advantage of other opportunities
for criminal activity in the region.

"These groups will also diversify their activities and commodities to take
advantage of the opportunities in this and outlying communities." said
Zablocki.

Asian gangs aren't the only organized crime group authorities think have
their sights set on the Peace Country.

Aboriginal street gangs are also believed to be operating in the region,
said Zablocki, involved in a counterfeiting operation as well as
street-level violence and drug-trafficking.

The Hells Angels have had a local presence for years according to RCMP,
which the CISA said the gang is looking to expand.

For the second year in a row, the CISA's report named Grande Prairie -
along with Fort McMurray, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge - as one of the
major areas of expansion for the motorcycle gang.

While he wouldn't get into specifics of any activities police believe are
linked to biker gangs locally, Zablocki said historically outlaw biker
groups tend to get involved in a wide range of criminal enterprises.

"With outlaw motorcycle gangs you often see drug-trafficking, possibly
weapons trafficking.

"Some organized crime groups are into credit card fraud, identity theft,
money laundering," he said, adding that police don't believe any outlaw
bikers have set up a headquarters in the city yet.

"There is a local presence of outlaw motorcycle gang activity in Grande
Prairie. We're certainly not home base to a chapter of outlaw motorcycle
gang activity, but there is some presence here."

Despite the arrival of a new criminal element, a turf war between bikers
and Asian gangs is still unlikely. Rather, the Hells Angels seem to have a
cordial "business" arrangement with other criminal groups in Alberta, said
Buss.

Though any underworld truce can be broken as quickly as it's made, he added.

"(Violence) is always a potential when you have organized crime gangs vying
for turf. Right now I don't think it will happen there in the near future."