Yellowknife (Sep 06/06) - Alberta street gangs traffic drugs in Yellowknife and throughout the NWT, according to a recent study on organized crime in Canada.

The report, by the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada, said there are about 30 street gangs - groups of young men with similar ethnic backgrounds - in Alberta, with most involved in selling crack cocaine. Some of those gang members "are involved in the street-level trafficking of various drugs in Yellowknife area and the Northwest Territories," according to the report.

According to a 2006 study from the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada: Canada-wide there are 300 identified street gangs with 11,000 members. In Alberta, there are approximately 30 street gangs. Most are involved in trafficking illicit drugs. Some are also affiliated with outlaw motorcycle biker groups.

While Yellowknife RCMP spokesperson Const. Colleen Werrell said "there are no specific gangs (in Yellowknife)," police are on the lookout for people coming here who may be involved in gang activity down south.

"We keep tabs on people believed to be affiliated with gangs," said Werrell.

RCMP Sgt. Darcy Fleury said groups of young men from Alberta have been coming up for about a year and the RCMP is interested in what they are doing while in town.

Werrell said that when someone with gang ties is identified during a routine traffic stop or vehicle checks, that information is relayed to law enforcement agencies in the South.

Werrell said it's difficult to say why gangs aren't being formed in the city, but added that, "it's a small area and everybody knows each other."

The intelligence service report showed B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec have the largest concentration of street gangs in Canada. Gangs are not present in the Yukon or Nunavut, its authors said.