POLICE TARGET DRUG DEALERS

Eighty officers go after 31 suspects in Grey-Bruce

Local news - One of the largest crackdowns on the local drug trade began
Wednesday morning.

Eighty police officers from around Grey-Bruce and Southern Ontario went
hunting for 31 people suspected of involvement in drug trafficking.

"It's a big operation. With 80 officers involved, it's one of the biggest
I've seen in this area for a long time and it should have a significant
impact on the drug trade in the area," said Senior Const. Steve Starr of
Grey County OPP.

The teams left the Sauble Beach OPP detachment at 7 a.m. and scattered
across the counties.

By 11 a.m. dozens of police had brought in suspects.

Starr said the operation had been in the works for about eight months.

"It's been a lengthy undercover operation that spanned approximately eight
months at various locations in Grey and Bruce," Starr said. "It involves
numerous police services, the Drug Enforcement section of the OPP, and has
been assisted by the Owen Sound Police Service and the Stratford Police
Service on a couple of occasions."

Starr said the officers had uncovered a wide variety of drugs, including
some strong painkillers, and more typical street drugs like marijuana.
"There's a lot of pills they're looking to seize as well," he said.

Drug distributors and traffickers are being targeted, rather than growers.
"It's not an eradication situation at all," Starr said. "I have no
indication (these people) are connected in any way."

A news conference will be held today to release further details.