John Barker
Northern News Services

Fort Good Hope (Aug 20/01) - Royal Canadian Mounted Police, assisted by K'asho Got'ine bylaw enforcement officers, last week intercepted several cargo boxes of over-proof bootleg rum destined for Fort Good Hope.

Frank T'seleie, K'asho Got'ine's chief and mayor, said more than 30 bottles of 151-proof rum were seized on flights into the community on Aug. 15 and 16.

"The Baccardi over-proof rum is a valued commodity to bootleggers due to its high alcohol content," T'seleie said, "and easily fetches $200 per bottle on the street."

T'seleie the transit route for the smuggled booze is by air via the local airport from Norman Wells and by water along the Mackenzie River.

Fort Good Hope is a restricted community and only allows a small amount of legal liquor per person per week.

"The community has spoken," T'seleie said. "The RCMP has the unanimous approval from residents and complete council support for their policing efforts...We are standing stronger than ever before. It's time to put bootleggers out of business. It's no secret what is happening in society as a result of the abuse of alcohol."

Fort Good Hope has often had the dubious distinction of being plagued by more social problems than any other community in the Northwest Territories, with widespread alcohol and gambling problems.

Outside of the Yellowknife detachment area, RCMP in Fort Good Hope laid more Criminal Code charges than anywhere else in the NWT last year.

Last October, three young men died in the crash of two snowmobiles. Five adults were travelling from one party to another, three on one machine and two on the other, when they collided at high speed.