N.W. ONTARIO MAKES GAINS IN DRUG WAR

Seizures More Than Double Thanks to Public Tips, Good Police Work

The value of drug seizures in Northwestern Ontario more than doubled last
year thanks to public tips and good police work, the head of the
Tri-Force/Kenora Joint Forces Drug Unit said yesterday.

"The better results we get, the more calls we get from the public," drug
unit Staff Sgt. John Horne said.

Police from six agencies that make up the joint unit seized $13.4 million
in drugs in 2002, up from $6.25 million in drugs confiscated the year before.

The drugs seized include 18.3 kilograms of cocaine, 202 kilos of hash oil
and 387 kilos of marijuana.

Investigators also took 800 grams of heroin, 442 units of ecstasy and 201
units of GHB from drug dealers or drug couriers. GHB is taken
recreationally as a depressant with effects similar to those caused by alcohol.

Police also seized more guns during drug arrests -- 310 assorted firearms
last year compared to a 108 weapons seized in 2001. Horne said the public
is more keen on providing information, helping police make more arrests and
seizures. He said many people are fed up with being victims of theft and
break-ins, which are often carried out by drug users.

The other factor is that since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the
drug pipeline in Canada runs east-west instead of north-south. Security has
tightened along the United States border, and it seems narcotics like
cocaine and marijuana are now being transported along the Trans-Canada
Highway to southern Ontario from British Columbia more frequently.

One day alone last year, officers seized 182 kilos of marijuana from two
cars from B.C. The unit also shut down a Thunder Bay hash oil smuggling
ring, which was bringing Jamaican marijuana resin into the area. The
ringleader was caught and pleaded guilty, getting 10 years behind bars.
Others further down the chain got three to seven years, depending on their
level of involvement.

"That's the other big thing," Horne said. "We're getting more support from
the courts."

However, it's not all good news.

Horne said police are noticing increased use of cocaine and crack cocaine
in Kenora caused by that city's proximity to Winnipeg and the probable
influence of the Manitoba Hells Angels. The Hells Angels also have a
chapter in Thunder Bay. "The Hells Angels stand out for us here," Horne
said. "The Hells Angels or any organized crime group... drugs are where
they make their most money."

Police are also seeing more drugs being smuggled into remote first nations
communities, where access is only available by airplane. Drug dealers fetch
five times what they'd get on the street in a bigger community.

Narcotics like cocaine and marijuana have been found hidden in children's
toys and clothing, VCRs and even stuffed into wiener tubes.

"The wieners were taken out and the marijuana was stuffed in," Horne said.