COPS WANT TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR REPEAT DRUG OFFENDERS

The drug trade continues to be a major problem in Chatham-Kent,
particularly for marijuana and crack cocaine, and local police believe a
major reason is that the length of jail sentences given to convicted drug
dealers is not an effective deterrent.

Nine major marijuana grow operations have been discovered by the
Chatham-Kent Police Service's Drug Enforcement Section since the beginning
of the year, resulting in $1.8 million worth of drugs being seized, along
with $50,000 in stolen property and $100,000 worth of hydroponics growing
equipment.

Those seizures, along with continued crack cocaine trafficking, has
prompted local police to lobby the Federal Prosecutor's Office and Crown
Attorney to recommend longer sentences for repeat offenders.

"(Drug trafficking) has been an ongoing problem for many years," says
deputy police chief Dennis Poole. He says Chatham-Kent is not the only
community facing this problem; it's a nation-wide phenomenon.

Poole says the frustrating part for police is that most of these drug
dealers are back in business within hours of being released from jail. The
deputy chief notes there are certainly established dealers in the community
that police will target as resources permit or as information develops from
tips such as through Crime Stoppers.

But, Poole says the fact remains that "the (drug) business is so lucrative,
and the risk of apprehension is so low, that the incentive to not be
involved in it is not strong enough, despite the (penalty) of jail."

"The only way (the police) can protect the community from the effects of
this problem is to have longer periods of incarceration for convicted drug
dealers," says Poole.

Some challenges police face is the fact marijuana is considered to be a
"soft drug" by the judiciary, resulting in shorter sentences.

However, a power-point presentation to members of the Police Services Board
at its May 15 meeting by deputy chief Jack Chambers showed the "grow
houses" that have been discovered in Chatham-Kent are complex operations.

Highly sophisticated wiring, most often involving the theft of hydro to run
the thousands of dollars worth of hydroponic equipment, is used along with
a series of duct work to keep the air flowing in the tightly sealed homes
that reach temperatures of 30-plus degrees Celsius.

The investment in these grow houses is considerable, but so are the returns
with each marijuana plant being worth $1,000 when fully grown.

Police have also discovered hidden cameras that have been set up to watch
the grow operations in mainly rented houses, and weapons such as guns and
knives have been seized from grow houses.

Chambers notes these hydroponic grow operations have been discovered in
homes where people never expected it, and the neighbours didn't know what
was taking place.

When it comes to trafficking the highly addictive crack cocaine, Poole
notes nine times out of 10 a drug dealer will only be caught with a small
quantity of the drug, which impacts on the sentence that is given.

"We believe that those trafficking, especially in crack cocaine, need to go
to jail for a long time," says Poole.

Crack cocaine creates "significant societal issues" that takes a toll on
the lives of those addicted to the drug, says Poole. He notes those hooked
on crack have to feed that addiction, which often results in them
participating in criminal activity to get the money. As well, children of
parents addicted to crack tend to suffer from neglect as their parents
focus on feeding their habit.

An analysis of local crime statistics indicates a direct trend of increased
break and enters at both residential and commercial properties when a crack
dealer is operating and/or was recently released from jail.