HUGE HAUL IN RAID ON GANGS

10 People Charged As $3M In Drugs, $200,000 Cash, Along With Weapons Seized

A cache of automatic rifles, handguns, bullet-proof vests, $3 million worth
of drugs and nearly $200,000 cash has been ripped from the hands of two
rival Asian gangs, Calgary police Chief Jack Beaton said yesterday, just
hours after a massive raid wrapped up.

On Thursday, police seized weapons, drugs and crime cash in a city-wide
sting that resulted in the arrests of 10 people who face a total of 22 charges.

The busts came the same day Solicitor General Heather Forsyth announced
$3.5 million in funding to set up a provincial police unit to target
organized crime groups and street gangs.

The latest swipe at gang-related crime brings the number of arrests this
month to 36.

Beaton said the gang task force, which grew from 25 officers when
established in January in response to a string of gang shootings, to 55
officers now, has netted 72 people with gang ties on 319 charges during the
past six months.

Task force officers were picked from around the police force, and will now
return to their regular duties, leaving the original seven-member gang unit
to work in conjunction with the provincial unit when it becomes operational
in the next few months.

"The majority of the people we were after we got, now we'll go around and
clean up the fringe players," Beaton said, referring to the two street
gangs targeted by cops.

While police are happy with the volume of arrests, charges and seizures
made during the past six months, the biggest fish in Calgary's crime pond
aren't among those in the frying pan.

"Remember, this is just two out of 24 identified organized crime groups in
our community," the chief said.

"What we have is just a small dent -- a minuscule amount of what we know is
out there."

Beaton is pleased with the provincial government's commitment to combat
organized crime, saying it will allow Calgary cops to crack down on local
criminals who operate federally and internationally.

"Now we'll be able to follow them anywhere in the world they go, and catch
them committing these crimes anywhere in the world," Beaton said.

Police say organized crime groups and gangs are responsible almost entirely
for the drug trade and have a role in prostitution, extortion and
money-laundering, as well as people-smuggling, identity theft, credit card
theft and illegal gambling.

The soon-to-be established provincial crime fighting agency will consist of
32 officers from Calgary, Edmonton and the RCMP -- and will have federal
and international components, which law enforcement officials don't want to
make public.