Pubdate: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://www.theokanagan.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531 Author: J.P. Squire SHOT FIRED IN POLICE RAIDS Machine gun-toting police burst into a Black Mountain home Tuesday, firing when a suspect pointed an imitation handgun at them. A bullet from the nine-millimetre semi-automatic machine gun lodged in the wall and the unharmed suspect was arrested by the Emergency Response Team member. The confrontation occurred Tuesday during a series of early morning raids which netted six suspects, more than 2,000 marijuana plants and $20,000 in cash. "The (allegations) paint a picture showing the darker underbelly of the drug scene," said RCMP spokesman Const. Garth Letcher. "It's not unlike what we see on the front pages of the Vancouver Sun and Province." With military precision, two dozen heavily armed police swooped down on houses in Okanagan Mission, Black Mountain, Westbank and Peachland. The police objective was the quick arrest of suspects involved in the vicious beating of a 24-year-old man three weeks ago. The unidentified man, admitted to Kelowna General Hospital in serious condition with multiple injuries, told police he was forcibly confined in a Glenmore home and beaten repeatedly for two days on Dec. 19 and 20. Those responsible set him free in a rural area of Chute Lake Road and he was admitted to the emergency department the next day. "We've heard rumours, reports of similar incidents, but the victims have been reluctant, or they find it impossible to come forward, so the incidents have gone unreported," said Letcher. Senior RCMP officials, concerned for the safety of their members and the possibility suspects could have weapons, formed a large arrest team: eight ERT members, 10 plain clothes investigators, four uniformed members and two police dog teams. The raids began at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday when a 28-year-old man and 22-year-old woman were arrested in a vehicle as they left a Sarsons Road residence. Police seized $20,000 in cash found inside the vehicle, then fanned out across the Central Okanagan. Shortly before 3 a.m., a 31-year-old man and 37-year-old woman were arrested at a residence in the 2400 block of Boucherie Road. Police confiscated more than 100 mature marijuana plants and in excess of 1,500 clones. At 3:05 a.m., two men, 23 and 27, were arrested on Verde Vista Road in Black Mountain. After the confrontation involving the single shot, police discovered another 300 marijuana plants. At 3:15 p.m., police seized more than 300 marijuana plants at a Mack Road residence in Peachland. "Our considerable planning paid off," said Letcher. "We were able to do it in stages. Once one residence was secured, one leg was completed, we were able to move on to the next." It was one of the largest arrest teams in recent memory and even though busting grow operations wasn't the intent, it was one of the largest seizures in some time. Police hope it will have an impact on the local drug trade. Three of those arrested were subsequently released. On Tuesday afternoon, Jonas Duncan, 28, Shawn Sandberg, 31, and Peter Novel, 27, appeared in Kelowna provincial court on charges of forcible confinement and aggravated assault. Duncan and Sandberg were also charged with uttering threats. Police issued a warrant and are still looking for Martin Lepiere, also of Kelowna, who has been charged with unlawful confinement and aggravated assault. Charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act are pending. The $20,000 cash is the subject of a proceeds-of-crime investigation. In provincial court, Crown counsel David Ruse requested and got a three-day remand for Duncan, Sandberg and Novel until 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Afterward, defence lawyer Victor Janicki indicated he will seek a bail hearing for Novel, his client, at that time. Duncan and Sandberg were represented by duty counsel Wayne Jennings. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake