Large amount of cocaine and crack discovered by citizens
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 29/00) - Thanks to the assistance of some quick-thinking local residents, members of the RCMP 'G' Division have seized more than $80,000 worth of cocaine and crack cocaine.
Sgt. Phil Johnson said an outdoor drug storage site containing over 300 grams of cocaine was discovered by members of the public on Sunday.
Evidence obtained at the scene and further investigation resulted in the discovery of another storage site containing 35 grams of crack cocaine, a crystallized and highly potent form of cocaine. The RCMP's drug sniffing dog Isaac played a key role in uncovering the second stash site. Johnson would not disclose the location of the discoveries, but did say they were outdoor locations.
"There was nothing remarkable about the sites, it was just buried in the snow or sitting amongst a pile of snow and rocks."
Evidence obtained from both locations have connected these stash sites to one of the drug trafficking organizations recently taken down during Operation Guiness.
"We are hoping to be able to link it to one or more individuals within those organizations if we can," said Johnson.
According to the officer, the discovery of crack cocaine in this quantity was surprising. Commonly, crack is sold in the cocaine form and then converted by the user.
"When you have 35 grams of crack cocaine, that indicates that it was possessed by somebody who was in the business of selling it ... it's unusual to find that amount already converted."
Johnson said he is unsure how significant that is, but said "it may indicate that crack cocaine is going to become available for purchase in the Northwest Territories now, which generally speaking, it hasn't been available for purchase in the past."
A dealer can also increase his or her profits by converting the cocaine into crack themselves before selling it, he added.
Johnson and other members of the 'G' Division believe there are other outdoor stash sites to be discovered in Yellowknife.
"There is a plentiful supply of drugs coming into the Northwest Territories, so certainly there are hiding places that people will place their illicit goods, I'm sure, all over the place," he said.
