Pubdate: Wed, 02 Apr 2008
Source: Chatham This Week (CN ON)
Copyright: 2008 Chatham This Week
Contact: http://www.chathamthisweek.com/contact.php
Website: http://www.chathamthisweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/719
Author: Peter Epp
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

CHATHAM-KENT CITIZEN GROUPS ENCOURAGED IN LOCAL WAR ON DRUGS

Sometime last year, someone in the Dresden area ordered a pizza, but
the person who delivered the order sensed something was wrong when
they arrived at the address.

Something didn't smell right.

Leaving the house, the delivery person followed a hunch  and called
police.

Several hours later, after police had obtained a  warrant, four people
in the house were arrested and  charged with growing marijuana for the
purpose of  trafficking.

Police also seized hundreds of plants from what turned  out to be a
substantial growing operation - the source  of the musty smell that
had aroused the curiosity of  the pizza delivery person.

If not for that telephone call, police would not have  been able to
make the arrest and remove hundreds of  thousands of dollars worth of
marijuana plants from  Chatham-Kent's illicit drug trade, 60
representatives  from a dozen or so Neighbourhood Watch organizations
were told last Saturday.

"Members of the community can be our eyes and ears,"  Deputy Police
Chief Dennis Poole told the group, while  further quoting Sir Robert
Peel, the father of modern  policing: "The public are the police, and
the police  are the public."

That relationship between citizen and police was  explored as the
Crime Prevention and Safety Board of  Chatham-Kent held its first
policing education session.

And in particular, the community's growing drug problem  was discussed
as two detective-sergeants with the  Chatham-Kent Police Service spoke
candidly about some  of the cases they've dealt with, as well as the
relationship they have with organizations such as East  Side Pride and
Neighbourhood Watch.

Jeff Teetzel and Dan Graham, members of the police  service's drug
enforcement unit, said their job is to  "take a good chunk out of the
(drug) problem (in  Chatham-Kent)," but they quickly added that they
need  help from the community.

The pair spoke about marijuana growing operations in  the field and in
houses, about Chatham's large crack  cocaine problem, and about the
growing problem of  crystal methamphetamine - both as a hideous
narcotic,  and as an environmental problem within the communities  and
neighbourhoods in which crystal meth is  manufactured.

The marijuana growing operation police raided in the  Dresden area
last year is an example of some of the  work that Teetzel and Graham
do. Any success they have  in making arrests comes after a lot of work
and  preparation - but tips from citizens and from groups  like
Neighbourhood Watch are welcomed.

Teetzel said most houses that harbour a growing  operation contain
anywhere between one and 1,500  plants. As a rule of thumb, police
place a value of  $1,000 on a single mature marijuana plant - based on
  its potential street value.

The growing operations that are conducted behind closed  curtains and
blinds are frequently sophisticated, but  there are some tell-tale
signs that neighbours can take  note of, Teetzel said.

"Usually you'll find that the windows are curtained or  blacked out,
and if it's the winter months, you won't  see much snow accumulation
on the roof or around the  basement walls. These operations throw off
a lot of  heat."

Police use heat-measuring devices when they suspect a  home or
building might be the location for a growing  operation, and Teetzel
said these devices often signal  a tremendous amount of heat loss that
is mostly  invisible to the naked eye.

Police also have access to utility records and can  sometimes isolate
those addresses where an inordinate  amount of electricity is being
used.

Craftier growers will steal electricity, however, from  neighbouring
houses, so as not to raise any immediate  alarm. Two years ago, police
made an arrest at an  address in East Kent, where they said they found
that  over $70,000 worth of electricity had been stolen to  power
lights and equipment for a very sophisticated  indoor growing
marijuana operation. That case is still  before the courts.

Graham said marijuana cultivation is also conducted in  the cornfields
of Chatham-Kent. Once the corn is  planted and germinates into a
seedling, growers will  secretly begin to cultivate marijuana plants
between  the rows. Sometimes they won't return until the fall,  to
harvest their crop.

"Some of these guys are so brazen that they'll approach  the farmer
and offer him money to use their fields,"  said Graham. "You'd be
surprised. It does happen."

Teetzel and Graham also discussed crack cocaine and the  economics
behind its enterprise. They agreed that it's  a big problem in
Chatham, and that its production in  the community is so well-known
that dealers from  London, Windsor and Toronto are attracted here.

The two cops said crack cocaine in Chatham is starting  to become as
common a street drug as marijuana. It's  also one of the main reasons
behind the spate of home  and car break-ins that have rippled
throughout the  community.

"Users have to get their fix and they need money, so  they just break
a window in a car looking for loose  cash, or they break into a house
or business," said  Graham.

"That's the reason why we're having all these crimes.  It's drugs and
the need for these users to pay for  their habit."

Teetzel said crystal meth isn't as prominent in  Chatham-Kent as
marijuana or cocaine, but said its  presence is growing.

It's an incredibly dangerous drug, he added, because of  its addictive
qualities, and because of the  environmental danger its manufacture
presents to  neighbours.

"We had a meth lab in Wallaceburg actually blow up, and  the guy that
was running it was a trained chemist,"  said Teetzel. "That's how
unstable and how dangerous  these chemicals are, that are used to make
this drug.  We have to be very careful as police officers when we  go
into one of these labs. You can imagine what kind of  danger these
labs present to the community."

Graham added that crystal meth is so addictive that an  estimated 95%
of its users were "fully and forever  addicted" after using the drug
one time.

"They never get off it."

He said the drug sells for between $100 and $125 a  gram, and is
therefore very profitable for the  manufacturer. But because meth is
so expensive, users  also frequently turn to crime to fulfill their
habit.

"It's not a very pretty drug habit," Teetzel said.  "People who are
users will age right before your eyes."
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MAP posted-by: Steve Heath