SIX-MONTH CRACKDOWN YIELDS $358,000 IN ILLEGAL DRUGS

Chatham This Week - Chatham-Kent police seized $358,000 in illegal
drugs and laid 61 charges against 28 people during a six-month
crackdown that ran from March 1 to Nov. 30.

Called Project Night-scope, the crackdown targeted drug dealers who
police suspected were responsible for supplying drugs to young people,
especially around high schools.

Deputy Police Chief Dennis Poole, speaking to members of the police
service board at their meeting on Jan. 14, described the crackdown as
"very successful." "The goals of the initiative in-cluded identifying
these drug dealers through surveillance, interrupting their activities
through enforcement activities such as search warrants and take-downs,
and educating our young people on the dangers of drug use."

Ontario government funding of $16,000 allowed the police to purchase
specialized equipment, which included a computer, digital cameras and
surveillance equipment.