COMBATTING DRUGS HEAVY TASK FOR LOCAL COPS

Cocaine Conspiracy Thwarted By Undercover Work

Policing marijuana-grow operations is a major part of the work for the
local RCMP detachment in Nelson, while the Nelson City police annual report
shows that 22 per cent of incidents investigated are ''drug investigations,
both hard and soft drugs," meaning a lot of police time is expended on
enforcing drug trafficking laws.

The Annual Report indicates seven per cent of arrests by the NCP area were
for drug offences, and has a photo of a grow-op where it notes four
grow-ops were dismantled in the city. Only two of the busts resulted in
criminal charges laid.

The biggest drug bust involved seizure of "cocaine, crack cocaine, ecstasy,
prescription drugs and marijuana valued in excess of $8,700." The NCP
Chief, Dan Maluta, said in his message that "a conspiracy to traffic
cocaine in our city" was thwarted by undercover policing and the accused
all pled guilty.

BC-wide, stats from the Solicitor-General show that drug offences in 2001
increased by five per cent from the previous year, and over the last decade
have gone up 63 per cent. Among drug offences, marijuana is by far the
major narcotic in police enforcement actions at 76 per cent, with 16 per
rent for cocaine and three for heroin.

An important note in the Province's report states that stats on drug crimes
are "volatile" (vary up-and downwards from one force to another) because
police forces may change their local policies in enforcement practices.

Sergeant Jim Reaburn of the Nelson RCMP said the Mounties' local
detachments - the Slocan Valley, New Denver, Nakusp and Kaslo - must deal
with many growing operations, saying "No doubt about it; marijuana grow ops
are a major problem for the RCMP."

RCMP are restructuring the administration for the area, to make Nelson the
Administrative headquarters for the smaller detachments. "Nelson detachment
is going to be the administrative h.q. for west Kootenay, and that will
free up the corporals at the smaller detachments for more on-road and
investigative time," Reaburn said. Reaburn noted that the rate in Nelson
police jurisdiction rose about 20 per cent in a year, but his own
detachment showed only about a 12 per cent increase.

Nelson's crime rate, among all the eight cities in BC with an independent
force, including Vancouver and New Westminister, is second only to
Victoria's. The provincial average per capita crime rate is 113 per 1,000
of population, said Reaburn, but Nelson has 165 and Victoria over 200. Most
BC municipalities employ RCMP detachments to enforce the law.