CRACK SHACKS TARGETED

RCMP have been cracking down on the local drug scene in recent
weeks, executing seven search warrants in the past 16 days, all
against alleged crack shacks.

Prince George RCMP Sgt. Tom Bethune said the searches are becoming
increasingly dangerous for police and innocent neighbours.

For the second time in less than a week, Mounties needed extreme
forced entry techniques to gain access to one of the homes they
raided, the latest in the 2200 block of Quince Street on Friday evening.

"Heavily armed police and the Emergency Response Team were forced to
enter the residence through the second story of the house," Bethune
said. "The main floor was heavily barricaded, denying police and
intruders entry."

Eleven people were arrested in the basement while a 15-year-old boy
was taken into custody on an upper floor.

"This is the second search within the last two weeks that a child
has been arrested for trafficking and responsible for a crack
shack," Bethune said.

It is also the second time in recent days that police have found a
hole between floors at the drug houses used to exchange money and
drugs. The customers are confined to the lower floor while the drugs
are held in the upper storey by dealers. The dealers are not
seen by the customers below, and it is harder for rival crooks to
burst in and rip off the money and drugs. It also buys the crooks in
the house time to hide their stash if the police raid the building.

This is another indication, Bethune indicated, that organized crime
is running local crack shacks.

Bethune said the bulk of this activity is conducted by a group
called The Crew, which is overseen by the Hells Angels.