Pubdate: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Prince George Citizen Contact: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350 Author: Frank Peebles POLICE, RESIDENTS TAKE AIM AT DRUG MOBILES As if some Prince George neighbourhoods weren't having enough problems with crackshacks, now there are crackmobiles, too. One area in particular, in the vicinity of First Avenue and Tabor Boulevard, is pushing back against the drug vendors who have been peddling dope from vehicles that come, stay awhile, then go, only to return later perhaps in a different vehicle. "We're dealing with mobile crack forts set up in the parking lot," said Rhonda Paul-Mattice of the Block Watch group in the area. "They wheel in, the clients come to the vehicle. And there is an astronomical amount of prostitution and drug activity right in plain open view. We have organized sex-trade activity going on right in the parking lot. We have about eight (sex-trade workers) we recognize working out of this area now, and it all sort of centres around these drug dealers." The local police are well aware of the situation, which has been slowly creeping in for some time from other areas. Some call it "celling" drugs since the dealers' primary tool is a cellular phone. "In most cities it is called dial-a-doping," said Prince George RCMP Sgt. Raj Sidhu, commander of the city's drug unit. "The customers will phone certain numbers and the person selling the drugs will come to them or direct them where to go. It has been increasing in P.G. over the last year due to pressure on the crackshacks from police enforcement." Records show Prince George Mounties have launched more than 80 search warrants in the past year on local homes and buildings believed to be involved in the drug trade. That sustained police action forced the dealers to change their tactics. "People are selling drugs on bikes, from cars, even on foot," Sidhu said. "It is all over the city. It depends on where the customers call from and where they feel comfortable delivering the drugs to. It is always the case that they are low-level mules or street dealers. It is always small quantities. They usually have dealings with the people who have what we'll call safe houses where they keep larger quantities, you could call it a distribution point where the one who controls the house might have a number of people making deliveries or maybe just one person." Mobile drug dealing has other benefits for the dealers as well. Detection is harder, the losses are smaller if caught by police, and they also avoid territorial competitors and disgruntled customers. The cost of operating a crackshack is also considerably higher than having a quiet distribution point and a team of travelling salespeople. Not in my neighbourhood, said Paul-Mattice who has a team of angry residents with her in the fight to rid of these dealers. They constantly call the police to report incidents and describe the people involved, and when they cross certain lines in the residential area they get an earful from the families who live there. "Whatever confrontations we have to have to get this element out of our neighbourhood, we are going to do it," Paul-Mattice said. Mounties said in spite of the challenges involved in investigating mobile drug dealers, there are techniques that work and "we do still catch them. We have caught many of these guys," said Sidhu. The danger level has been going up, though as more and more of these dealers get their hands on guns or carry other weapons with them. "It is more dangerous, there is no doubt about it," Sidhu said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin