Second drug bust this spring sees 15 Yellowknife residents arrested
Maria Canton
Northern News Services
NNSL (Jun 25/99) - Yellowknife's bars and the downtown core have been the target of two undercover sting operations, landing a total of 28 suspected drug dealers under arrest in less than a month.
Two of the Yellowknife RCMP G Divisions, the plainclothes unit and the drug unit, have been orchestrating the operations. As part of the procedures, plainclothes officers befriend and buy drugs from locals who police believe to be street-level dealers.
"The intelligence that we gain through these operations certainly indicates that people become very paranoid or cautious about who they deal with," RCMP District Commander North, Staff Sgt. Dave Grundy said.
"This way, they are never sure about what the police are doing."
Police purchased cocaine, marijuana, hashish and were offered prescription drugs during their latest three-week blitz of the bars and streets.
Since the last mass arrest on May 28, which saw 12 people being picked up, the price of drugs in the city has gone up -- possibly as a result of the supply being cut down, says Grundy.
"Prices have gone up, but it wasn't hard to find more people to buy from," he said.
"There are still a lot of people who are dealing drugs, whether it's in major amounts or minor amounts."
The RCMP investigations target all levels of the Yellowknife drug trade, including those who are bringing in ounces and pounds of illegal drugs.
The accused in Tuesday's arrests involve residents suspected of dealing in gram and multi-gram levels.
"These investigations aren't geared to send someone into the bar and catch people who just happen to sell drugs one time," Grundy said.
"We are targeting people who are known traffickers and continuously deal."
Three women and 12 men, ranging in age from 19 years old to 50 years old, were arrested early Tuesday morning by RCMP arrest teams.
All appeared before a justice of the peace Tuesday night and are facing a variety of charges including possession of a controlled substance and trafficking in a controlled substance.
