Iqaluit (Nov 20/06) - With no liquor stores to speak of, and a problematic history of alcohol in the Arctic, bootlegging remains a stubborn problem in Nunavut, tying up police time and resources.

"It's a significant problem," said Sgt. Gavin Nash of the Rankin Inlet RCMP, who estimates his detachment spends about 80 per cent of its time dealing with alcohol-related offenses.

"We have a lot of drunk people doing a lot of crazy things on weekends and a lot of them end up in jail."

In June, police busted two people for bootlegging vodka, seizing 20 40-ounce bottles worth more than $2,500 on the street.

Compounding the problem is the hesitance of people in the community to come forward with information about bootleggers.

Nash said many of his detachment's tips come in too late to be useful in an investigation.

In Cambridge Bay, where a black-market 60-ounce bottle of hard liquor can sell for as much as $350, the problem is much the same, said Sgt. Louis Jenvenne.

"We have a good idea of who the bootleggers are," he said.

"The problem is getting statements from people in order to lay charges and get convictions.

"Our problem is the people who are victimized by this are the ones buying the liquor and the drugs and they're not about to give up their dealers or their bootleggers."

There are signs that's starting to change, Nash said.

"The community gets tired of people screaming and yelling and fighting outside their house and they ultimately come forward with the information we need to stop (bootlegging,)" he said.

Jenvenne agrees.

"We'll do what we can, but the onus is on the community to come forward, identify these people, be prepared to go to court, and then the problems will really lessen," he said.

Nunavut's retail liquor system relies on air freight to get the product to consumers.

Some communities are completely dry, while others rely on committees to screen alcohol requests and keep liquor out of the hands of those known to have problems.

Despite that, Nash doesn't think controls on alcohol sales are the source of the bootlegging problem.

Jenvenne wouldn't offer an opinion on Nunavut's liquor system, saying it's a decision that has to be made by Nunavummiut.

The system "probably lends itself to abuse," said Cpl. Randy Slawson, of the Iqaluit RCMP detachment, but he adds bootlegging is a problem in southern Canada, too.

"There's always a demand for liquor and when money is involved people are going to take that chance."