BIGGEST COKE SEIZURE EVER

Kingpin Busted, Cops Say

City cops say they've busted a kingpin in Winnipeg's cocaine trade --
and they have a record-breaking seizure to prove it.

In the single largest bust of its kind in Manitoba history, Winnipeg
police seized 17 kilograms of high-grade coke with a street value of
more than $1.3 million Friday from a North End rental storage shed.

"A year ago, if we got a kilo and a half, we thought that was just a
huge amount," vice division Insp. Stan Tataryn said. "Here we're
bringing in 17 kilos. It shows you how much is out there."

Police believe the mammoth haul, which was hidden in gym and duffel
bags, came from Colombia via B.C.

In fact, at least one of the 17 one-kilogram bricks was imprinted with
a Colombian manufacturer's trademark insignia.

Police believe the suspect they've arrested is one of only about
"three or four" top-level dealers responsible for bringing cocaine to
the province.

"You're not going to find anyone higher (in Manitoba)," said Det.-Sgt.
Jeff Bellingham of the Winnipeg police drug unit, nicknamed the Rogue
Crew. "We've got a lot of people worried out there."

However, cops won't say whether the coke, which has a wholesale value
of $680,000, is linked to Manitoba's Hells Angels -- who are believed
to control much of the city's drug trade.

Sights Raised

Within the past year, cops have raised their sights from the
"beverage-room pusher" to the high-level distributors. It's a move
that has paid off big for the resource-limited drug unit, they say.

"We've seized 35 times more cocaine this year than we did last year,"
Tataryn said. "We've seized more cocaine this year than the entire
history of the drug squad. So we're quite proud of that and we think
we're contributing to taking cocaine off the streets of Winnipeg."

James Peter Jenner, 40, of 38 Mohawk Bay, is in custody.

Jenner was about to leave the country on vacation when police
contacted his lawyer and persuaded him to return to Winnipeg.

Jenner surrendered to cops yesterday about 10 a.m. at Winnipeg
International Airport after returning from Toronto.

Residents in Jenner's Niakwa Park neighbourhood, which overlooks
Windsor Park Golf Course, were stunned to hear of his arrest.

"Holy mackerel!" one neighbour told The Sun, adding Jenner lived with
his wife and school-aged son. "I thought they were nice neighbours.
He's got a nice house. It's shocking."

Another neighbour said Jenner didn't seem to have a job but claimed he
was living off an inheritance.

"Everybody was kind of curious," the neighbour said. "He was such a
nice person. We liked him so much. This is such a shock."