Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 Source: Mission City Record (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 The Mission City Record Contact: http://www.missioncityrecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1305 GANG VIOLENCE B.C. Solicitor-General Rich Coleman has promised a new special police investigation unit to combat organized crime. This has been a theme for Coleman for some time, and not just because it's politically popular. Organized crime-related shootings and other violence are becoming more frequent in many B.C. communities, as gangs jockey for turf in the drug and in some cases prostitution trades. Police have sometimes resorted to a cryptic code to communicate this growing phenomenon. A man found shot in the head on a local street in late December was said to have had "misfortunes in the past," and the public was assured that his latest misfortune was "not a random act." In other words, he was targeted, likely because he failed to hold up his end of a drug deal. This incident might not have been gang related, but don't bet on that. Similarly, when six homes were raided over two days last May, and a total of 4,000 marijuana plants were seized, an RCMP investigator termed it a "coincidence" that all seven adults arrested were Vietnamese, but added that "it is reflective of who's getting involved in this type of stuff." Indeed. The aggressive expansion of Vietnamese organized crime into the lucrative grow-op business likely has even the Hells Angels worried. Coleman urges police to keep on busting marijuana grow ops, despite the revolving door of the courts and the federal government's political posturing about decriminalizing marijuana possession. Such a half measure by the Ottawa Liberals isn't likely to close down any gang grow-ops. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek