Pubdate: Sat, 11 Jul 2015
Source: Kingston Whig-Standard (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Sun Media
Contact: http://www.thewhig.com/letters
Website: http://www.thewhig.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/224
Author: Steph Crosier
Page: A1

METH 'VIOLATIONS' ON RISE

Crime: Kingston Police Report Startling Increase in Seizures of 
Crystal Methamphetamine This Year

Kingston Police have seized almost twice the amount of crystal 
methamphetamine in the first six months of 2015 as they did in all of 2014.

"It's cheap," Staff Sgt. Greg Sands, in charge of special services 
with the Kingston Police's Drug Unit, told the Whig- Standard Friday. 
"An addict is an addict, and a true hard-core addict, they're going 
to get high on something, and crystal meth is cheap."

In 2013, Kingston Police seized 2,084 grams of crystal meth. In 2014, 
there was 1,676 grams seized. Between January and the end of June 
this year, 3,345 grams of meth has been taken off the streets of Kingston.

A recently released Statistics Canada report on Canada's drug-related 
offences in 2013 found while 67% of all police-reported drug offences 
involved cannabis, 16% involved cocaine and 4% involved methamphetamine.

For 2013, Stats Can reports Kingston had 21 police-reported drug 
"violations" involving meth per 100,000 people. That's second in the 
province, following only London, which had 22. London's population is 
366,150, compared to Kingston's 159,561.

Sands said there hasn't been an increased emphasis on meth 
investigations, as police target the suppliers and producers.

"Suppliers living off the backs of addicts," Sands said. "I always 
say, these suppliers, you can run the game for so long but you're 
going to get yours because we keep investigating and going after the 
suppliers."

Sands said it is rare to catch a supplier in production.

"Once you stir it up, lay it out, clean your sink, you're done," 
Sands said. "( Investigators) might find some ingredients, chemicals 
left over, but even the bad guys are getting smart enough to know 
they only keep what they need. "So it's not an easy one to get." 
Being situated along a major highway doesn't help the drug unit's 
efforts to reduce the number of drugs heading into Kingston. In order 
to combat the trafficking of drugs, Sands said there is a strong 
communication between police forces across the province.

"If we knew of a supplier here in Kingston that was going to Toronto 
to pick up a load, if that person was under any kind of surveillance, 
or if we had any information as to where that person was picking up, 
then we're on the phone with Toronto," Sands said.

"Criminals don't know borders, so the information is pretty 
free-flowing throughout the province."

Drug trafficking is like any other business, Sands said. Compared to 
other Controlled Drugs and Substances Act banned products, such as 
heroine or cocaine, meth production is a high-reward business.

"If you buy a (kilo) of cocaine, maybe it costs you $ 7,000, you sell 
it, you're only going to make a couple thousand dollars off it," 
Sands said. "You can buy a ( kilo) of crystal and you can turn around 
and make much more off it. "There's a bigger profit margin for the dealers."

In comparison to a gram of cocaine, which Sands said can be sold for 
about $ 100, a gram of meth can be purchased for about $ 20.

In 2012, the provincial government banned the use of the narcotic 
painkiller OxyContin. Sands said the drug unit hasn't been seeing 
OxyContin, but it is fair to say those addicted to it could have 
transferred to crystal meth.

"It's possibly harder to obtain Oxy, and that goes for the supplier," 
Sands said. "It's tougher to get some Oxys smuggled in from somewhere 
than it is to get somebody to stir up some crystal in their home."

Sands said the problem with meth is that an addict will never know 
what they are getting.

"People can make this up in a bathtub," Sands said. "Like most drugs, 
there's no regulations. So people are stirring this up in their bathroom sink."

[sidebar]

DRUG NUMBERS

Police-reported drug "violations" for 2013, per 100,000 people

Kingston: Cannabis, 82; cocaine, 33; methamphetamine, 21; other, 34

London: Cannabis, 150; cocaine, 34; methamphetamine, 22; other, 63

Kitchener- Cambridge-Waterloo: Cannabis, 225; cocaine, 33; 
methamphetamine, 8; other, 50

Hamilton: Cannabis, 225; cocaine, 33; methamphetamine, 1; other, 34

Toronto: Cannabis, 129; cocaine, 36; methamphetamine, 2; other, 24

Windsor: Cannabis, 116; cocaine, 27; methamphetamine, 3; other, 39

St. Catharines- Niagara: Cannabis, 119; cocaine, 33; methamphetamine, 
4; other, 19

Source: Statistics Canada

Police crystal methamphetamine seizures
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom