POLICE ARREST ALLEGED DRUG "MIDDLEMAN"

The Victoria police busted a "high level" middle man after uncovering
the largest single seizure of crystal meth ever in department history.

After a month-long joint investigation by the Victoria police,
officers from Central Saanich Police Department and the Combined
Forces Special Enforcement unit, a 39-year-old Saanich man was
arrested on charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking. At
the time of arrest, he was on bail for two other drug offences that
occurred in December 2006 and February 2007.

The Saanich man, who was driving along the Patricia Bay Highway, was
stopped by police Tuesday. They uncovered one kilogram of crystal
methamphetamine, worth an estimated $50,000 to $80,000 on the street,
from the vehicle.

They executed a search warrant to investigate the man's house in the
4300 block of Torrington Road. During a five-hour search, a drug
detection canine from the Customs Border Agency helped uncover one
kilogram of cocaine estimated in street value from $60,000 to $80,000.
Police also found a combined total of $15,000 in U.S. and Canadian
funds, a scale, a money counter, and three cans of bear spray.

The man lived in the basement of the residence, which belonged to his
mother. She is not believed to be involved.

"This particular address was located one block from an elementary
school... And that's why we really made an effort to target this one
particular individual," said Victoria police spokesperson Sgt. Grant
Hamilton.

Police described the individual as a middleman who distributed drugs
from super labs on the mainland or south of the border to lower lever
dealers.

According to police, most crystal meth comes from organized crime
agencies in Mexico, who operate super labs in Washington, Oregon and
California and smuggle it over the border, or from outlaw motorcycle
gangs and Asian gangs with super labs on the mainland or in the Interior.

The suspected was arrested while travelling from the Swartz Bay ferry
terminal.

"Anytime that you arrest somebody with this quantity of crystal meth,
as they call it, it will make a significant impact, but like I said,
how long it is remains to be seen," Hamilton said.