CITY DRUG PURGE SHOULD NOT AFFECT ABBOTSFORD AREA

Abbotsford police are not expecting an influx of drug traffic into the city
now that the Vancouver city police have a campaign to rid the downtown
eastside of drug dealers, but they'll be watching the situation.

"Is it a possibility? Yes. Does it concern us? Yes. But it's not something
we're gearing up for," said Sgt. Jules Tessarolo, head of the Abbotsford
police drug section. In Burnaby, Surrey and New Westminster, police
officers in both plain clothes and uniforms are riding the SkyTrain to head
off any spillover effect from the downtown Vancouver crackdown.

But Tessarolo said that because Abbotsford is beyond the SkyTrain corridor,
residents won't likely see any large migration of drug traffickers or users
to this area. He pointed out there would have to be a large influx of drug
users to Abbotsford to also draw the dealers.

Nevertheless, the police department will watch how the situation develops
in those communities west of Abbotsford as well as here.

"We'll keep an eye on trends in our community and respond accordingly," he
said Wednesday.

Since the crackdown on drug traffickers began three weeks ago, the downtown
eastside streets in Vancouver have been cleared but no one is sure where
the dealers have actually gone. Many suspect the dealers and users are
staying in their hotel rooms or in the hotel bars. Vancouver police
reported they arrested close to 70 people on drug charges, while many
others may have simply left the area.

The Vancouver police have reassigned or added up to 60 police officers to
their downtown beat, including members on horseback to work on the
three-month long campaign.