A year-long RCMP drug investigation that cost taxpayers $500,000 wrapped up Wednesday with the arrest of more than 70 people, including 45 Yellowknifers. Code named Operation Guiness, police say more charges are likely as they continue their investigation. Northern News Services
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 17/00) - Early Wednesday morning, RCMP raided homes and businesses, arresting 45 city residents and seizing what appears to be a small quantity of drugs.
 Sgt. Dave Grundy |
More than 30 other people were arrested in Ontario, Alberta and the NWT.
As of press time Thursday, RCMP had not released names of those charged but confirmed one business raided was the Pan Asia restaurant from which several items were taken but no drugs.
Grundy said those charged are scheduled to appear in territorial court on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Called Operation Guiness, the pre-dawn raids also resulted in the seizure of $500,000 in cash and at least $250,000 worth of firearms including handguns, vehicles, jewelry and other proceeds of crime.
At least several ounces of cocaine and angel dust, a pound of marijuana and four ounces of crack were seized in Yellowknife and other cities. Sgt. Dave Grundy said a more important factor than the amount of drugs recovered is that undercover officers had arranged to buy more than a million dollars worth of illegal drugs.
G division superintendent Terry Elliott said about $500,000 has already been spent on the investigation to date.
Elliott said that under the definition of organized crime, two associations consisting of more than five people, were dismantled with Wednesday's raids.
"Organized crime is here. Today we took down two organized criminal organizations," Elliott said at a packed news conference at City Hall Wednesday.
"The lessons we learned from that are two. One, the demand for drugs is great in the NWT and two, the supply is plentiful."
The RCMP refused to comment on whether the two groups are connected to larger gangs in the south.
"Approximately 150 police officers took part in pre-dawn raids and arrests of the subjects located in Yellowknife, Edmonton, Calgary, Parry Sound Ont. and Scarborough, Ont.," said Grundy.
Police worked well into the night Wednesday as prisoners were flown in from other cities.
Boxes of files lined a room in the detachment from wall to wall as several officers sat at a desk, labouring through paperwork and evidence that will be turned over to the court.
Black binders with the names of everyone arrested were packed in against the wall of one storage room from ceiling to floor.
Amounts of cocaine and marijuana seized were placed in clear bags and locked in the evidence room.
Other confiscated evidence included computers and soap stone carvings which filled most of the floor space in another room.
"We are returning all these accused to Yellowknife to face the courts here," Grundy said.
"Some will be kept in custody. The Yellowknife Correctional Centre can house the people that we need it to."
Grundy said a number of court appearances such as bail hearings will take place over the next week.
"We have the investigation completed, we have the evidence to take them to court and the courts will do their job," he said.
The investigation did not focus on drugs or users as much as the high-level dealers who supply them, Grundy said.
The people arrested are members of the Vietnamese, Chinese and Aboriginal communities as well as caucasians.
A Vietnamese member of the RCMP was brought into Yellowknife to provide translation for the investigation.
