Pubdate: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2008 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Bruce Ward, with files from Neco Cockburn POLICE ARREST 47, SHUT DOWN SEVEN CRACK HOUSES IN SWEEP Seven more crack houses are now out of business, thanks to the continuing crackdown on street crime in several Ottawa neighbourhoods. A sweep by the street crime unit has also resulted in the arrests of 47 people who now face 225 charges. Of those arrested, police say two were occupants of a notorious Catherine Street address who are now in custody facing several drug trafficking charges, possession of proceeds of crime charges and breach of undertaking charges. Fourteen women were arrested on prostitution-related charges. Since it was formed in November, the unit has been targeting street-level drug dealers and prostitution-related crimes in the ByWard Market, Vanier, Hintonburg and the downtown core and has charged 112 people. Insp. Alain Bernard said the crack house closings and the flurry of arrests are "a testament to how much of an issue it is out there." He said the sharing of information between various police units, such as the drug and guns and gangs units, is the key to stopping street-level drug dealing and prostitution. "Oftentimes the same dealers that are inside the crack houses can be found on the street. That's where the connect happens," he said. "We take information and share it with other units within the service. It's from working together that we've managed to close an additional seven crack houses in the past six weeks." Working with landlords is the "other piece of the puzzle," he said. "Where the problem really stems from is when all of a sudden you have an absentee landlord, who is doing this for the sole purposes of money and might not have a vested interest in closing down a crack house because they're paying the rent," he said. "They don't see what's happening, or they're indifferent to what's happening, and because of that, all of a sudden we run into some problems." But some landlords are working closely with the police, he added, citing the closing of a crack house in the 300 block of Catherine Street last weekend as an example. "A landlord came forward and said, 'help me.' Not only were we able to charge two individuals working out of that location with trafficking, the landlord is in the process of having remaining tenants evicted." Police raid Duhamel grow-op Police seized 353 marijuana plants after executing a search warrant yesterday morning at a home in Duhamel, northeast of Gatineau. Acting on a tip, police executed a search warrant at 2168 Lac Gagnon Rd. W. at about 8:30 a.m. and arrested a 54-year-old man who arrived on the property while officers were there. The man, who allegedly took care of the plants, was to be charged with production and trafficking of marijuana, according to the Surete du Quebec. Police also seized grow equipment and said the electrical system had been tampered with to steal electricity. Nobody was living in the house, which police said was used solely for the production of marijuana. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek