NEIGHBOURHOOD A 'CRACK MECCA'

The crack house problem in North Surrey has become so severe, some
neighbourhoods have one or more illicit drug operations on every block,
police and court documents obtained by The Leader show.

In the 10600 block of East Whalley Ring Road, the scene of a recent series
of well-publicized raids on a crack house, at least two other drug houses
are selling crack and methamphetamine on the same city block.

The dilapidated stucco house has been raided four times in five months by
police, who made several arrests and seized quantities of methamphetamine,
heroin and crack cocaine - without shutting the house down.

Police warrants filed in Surrey Provincial Court show two other houses in
the same block were also raided during that period, and that all three
houses appear to be operated by the same group.

Three people are linked to the drug-running at all three houses, including
a ringleader who has a lengthy criminal record that includes causing death
by criminal negligence, assault causing bodily harm and other drug-related
offences.

In some cases, court documents show investigations are often interrupted
because overworked officers have to attend to other, more critical cases,
leaving the matter to be picked up at a later date by another investigator.

In at least two recent instances reviewed by The Leader, the warrants
explicitly state the change of investigators is due to the "high workload."

"We do have a problem with drug houses," Surrey RCMP Const. Tim Shields
confirmed, saying the 15-member Surrey drug section is struggling to keep
up with a torrent of complaints about drug houses in Whalley, Guildford and
parts of Newton.

"They (the section) are extremely busy," Shields told The Leader. "We have
more tips than we can handle."

All complaints to police about drug houses do get checked out, Shields
said, but not always right away.

"We are executing search warrants almost every day," Shields said.

"We do investigate every tip, but it can take time to get to some of them."

One drug addict who make regular purchases of heroin in the neighbourhood
near the much-raided crack houses on Whalley Ring Road and the nearby
"little house of horrors" (an infamous North Surrey crack house believed to
be the scene of several murders) recently told The Leader that there is no
shortage of drug houses in the area.

"You go a block in any direction, pretty much, you'll find one," said the
man, who asked not to be identified.

One police officer familiar with the neighbourhood, who asked not to be
named, described the area a "crack mecca," saying police are being deluged
with complaints by frustrated residents demanding action.

Const. Shields says the concentration of three crack houses in one block is
higher than average, even for North Surrey. "It's unusual, but there are
certain areas of the city (with high concentrations of drug houses).

"I just want to stress that it's not indicative of the city as a whole,"
Shields said.