Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (June 06/05) - Another big drug bust involving crack cocaine has been made in Hay River.

On May 31 at about 8:30 p.m., five RCMP officers raided a residence on Woodland Drive.

Sgt. Greg Downing of the Hay River RCMP says police are putting a dent in the illegal trade of crack cocaine.

A search of the home produced a total of 272 grams of crack cocaine with an estimated street value of $65,280 and $17,725 in cash.

The seizure represents approximately 544 individual hits of the drug.

Police believe the cash represents 150 hits that were sold in Hay River.

Sgt. Greg Downing of the Hay River RCMP says the search was the result of a long-term investigation. "We've been working on it for quite a while."

Three people have been charged.

Rachel Martel, 40, of Hay River, Ngoc Toan Pham, 22, of Edmonton and Derrick Hinds-Whitebear, 21, of Ladysmith, B.C., have all been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime.

Martel, the homeowner, has also been charged with resisting arrest.

All three accused are scheduled to appear in Hay River Territorial Court on July 4.

Police located a total of 14 people in the residence, four of whom were under the age of 15. Aside from the three people charged, the others were allowed to leave.

Downing says the investigation is ongoing, but the fact the young people were allowed to leave indicates they were not involved in any illegal activity. The bust was the fifth major seizure of crack cocaine in Hay River since August.

Downing says it's impossible to say how much crack cocaine is coming into Hay River, but he believes the busts help stem the flow. "We're certainly putting a dent in it."