POLICE AT WAR WITH DRUGS, BIKE GANGS

Outlaw motorcycle gangs and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of
drugs, more than $125,000 in cash and guns were seized last year - all of
it a snapshot of a criminal subculture that's taken root in Kenora.

In the old days, a sheriff facing such a problem would deputize a posse and
go round up the bad guys.

That's no longer an option for members of the Northwestern Ontario
Tri-Force drug unit and Ontario Provincial Police's biker enforcement
squad. But at a seminar in Kenora Wednesday night, police were doing some
recruiting, hoping to get the eyes and ears of the community on side.

"We're not trying to scare people, we're just trying to show them the
reality of the situation as it is with drugs. It's that way in many
communities across the country," said Det. Const. Dwain Hill of the OPP
biker unit.

Hill said public information is a crucial element in helping police get to
the source of the drug problem.

"The more information we get from the public, the better work we can do for
the public. It could be the key that would tell us who the next big drug
dealer in town is," he explained.

As Kenora Police Services Board member Mark Duggan put it towards the end
of the session: "The whole purpose is to wake up our community. This isn't
small town Kenora anymore, there's stuff going on in our backyards that
we're not aware of."

About 45 people, ranging from educators to council members and business
people attended the session at the Kenora OPP detachment, which was
arranged by the city's Police Services Board.

Hill, who is based in Kenora, joined other members of the biker unit and
Det. Sgt. Brian Brattengeier and Kenora Police Service drug cop Const.
Rheal Gosselin in pulling back the veil on the city's drug problem and its
nexus with outlaw motorcycle gangs - in particular the Hell's Angels.

Although the motorcycle club doesn't have a chapter in Kenora, with
clubhouses in Winnipeg (13 members) and Thunder Bay (seven), their
influence on the drug trade extends to here, stressed Hill.

Several statistics were bounced around by police during the two-hour
presentation, but three facts stood out to highlight the extent of Kenora's
drug problem:

- - Gosselin estimated on a typical night in the city between $6,000 and
$10,000 in crack cocaine, virtually unheard of here until seven years ago,
can change hands;

- - he also pegged at 90 per cent the number of local robberies and break-ins
which can be tied to crack addicts; and

- - police didn't have long to cheer in February when convicted local crack
dealer Randy Creed was sentenced to three years in Stoney Mountain because
he's already been replaced on the streets.

"As soon as you take one away, another comes in to fill the void because
the money is too good," said Hill.

Brattengeier said three drugs in particular dominate on the streets of
Kenora: marijuana, crack cocaine and, increasingly, oxycodone, a pain
medication often prescribed to cancer patients which sells for up to $50
per pill.

Despite the push to decriminalize pot and paint it as a harmless drug,
Brattengeier insisted its use (among children as young as 9) is "the most
serious issue."

Although he conceded he has no clinical studies to back him up, he said his
seven years as an undercover drug cop make him certain there's a link
between marijuana use and hard drugs.

He noted the marijuana being smoked today is far more potent, containing an
average delta-9-Tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) level of 15 per cent, compared
to two per cent 20 years ago.

"At 22 per cent, it's said that marijuana takes the same quality as cocaine
when ingested," said Brattengeier.

He predicted crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy, two drugs not currently
seen much in Kenora will begin to take hold soon.

Crystal meth is of particular concern because it is cheaper than crack and
produces a high that's faster, more intense and lasts longer increasing the
chances of long-term addiction.

Beaver Brae Secondary School vice-principal Steve Grindrod was among those
in attendance Wednesday and said it's important community leaders get the
same drug education and awareness as students.

Grindrod said through education, enforcement and strict punishment for
those in possession of drugs or paraphernalia, the school has a handle on
the drug problem. However, he said it does persist.

"The high school is just a representation of the community. It's a small
town, it's got 1,100 students that represent all aspects of what's
happening in the community," he said.