Lisa Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 19/05) - The doors to the Right Spot Sports Bar and Grill remain locked five days after police swooped in during a city-wide drug sweep.

Charges laid in cocaine busts: Larry Mak One count of trafficking cocaine One count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine Leonard Haynes One count of trafficking cocaine One count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine Philip Mullins One count of trafficking cocaine One count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine One count of trafficking marijuana Four counts of uttering a threat Colin Cleveland One count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking Tom Desjarlais One count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking One count of possession of proceeds of crime Kan Sui (Ken) Wong and Sandra Gellenbeck One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine Kan Sui Wong and Hoa Ngo One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine Kan Sui Wong and Dan Vermeulen One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine Kan Sui Wong and Chandra Mudaliar One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine Kan Sui Wong and Michael Fraser One count of conspiring to traffic cocaine Sandra Gellenbeck One count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking

The 50th Street bar's owner and manager remain in jail, facing cocaine trafficking and conspiracy charges. They are two of 11 people charged in the wake of "Project Gunship."

On Oct. 13, the Right Spot, Johnson's Building Supplies, The Diner and four homes were raided in what police called a co-ordinated effort to nab top-level drug dealers.

Johnson's and The Diner re-opened the next day.

What's next for the Right Spot remains unclear. A liquor inspector slapped a 48-hour closure order on the busy downtown bar.

The closure order ended Oct. 16, but the notice remained duct-taped to the locked front door as of Tuesday afternoon.

"There is enforcement activity taking place," said Delilah St. Arneault, manager of licensing and enforcement for the Liquor Licensing Board.

The move is a standard one when a violation of a licence is noted, she said.

The bar's licence hadn't been revoked as of Tuesday and the matter has yet to go before the liquor board.

Most of the 31 people arrested during the sweep were released without charge.

Of the 11 people charged, six were denied bail on Monday. Kan Sui (Ken) Wong, the owner of the Right Spot Sports Bar and Grill; Sandra Gellenbeck, general manager of Johnson's Building Supplies; Colin Cleveland, manager of the Right Spot; Philip Mullins; Leonard Haynes; and Larry Mak were ordered to remain in custody after brief court appearances on Monday.

Hoa Ngo, owner of The Diner restaurant, Michael Fraser, Dan Vermeulen, Chandra Mudaliar and Tom Desjarlais are facing charges but were released until their next court appearances.

Information about the Crown cases against the accused is protected by a court ordered publication ban, but RCMP Supt. Rick Roy told the media that guns, large amounts of cocaine, marijuana and other objects were seized.

The 18-month police undercover operation involved more than 50 police officers.

RCMP say they believe they toppled the highest level of cocaine traffickers in the NWT. The ring was believed to be bringing drugs into the territories from as far away as Vancouver and Edmonton.

While police say they nabbed the big movers and shakers in the Yellowknife cocaine trade, one of the people arrested during the raids and released without charge is complaining of unfair treatment.

One man, who didn't want to be identified, said he and his co-workers were arrested when police charged into a business with a search warrant.

"Can you imagine, you come in to buy a hammer and they throw you in jail," he said Friday.

Six people from the business were arrested but only one person was charged and held in jail.

"We were handcuffed on the spot. We were there for 45 minutes and then they took us up to the jail and strip searched us," he said.

"I can't believe they can do that to you. It's ridiculous, humiliating - lying naked on a concrete cell," said the man.

Roy defended the arrests, saying no one was taken into custody without cause.

"We certainly wouldn't detain people for 24 hours for going in for a hamburger," he said.