A judge's acceptance of intercepted phone calls as evidence has set the stage for a trial involving the alleged trafficking of kilograms of cocaine from a local marina. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Barrow ruled March 24 that phone calls recorded by police would be admitted as evidence. Investigators recorded 274 calls over several months in an investigation of alleged drug trafficking from the downtown Kelowna Marina. In 2007, police alleged that a group of experienced traffickers distributed multiple kilograms of cocaine per week, using the business as a base of operations. [continues 186 words]
Finding help to deal with addictions could be as easy as going to an upcoming open house. The open house on Nov. 19 at 3:30 p.m. will be attended by local groups with addiction resources available throughout the Central Okanagan. Participants include Kelowna's Gospel Mission, the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the John Howard Society, Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO), Karis Support Services and ARC Programs. RDCO drug policy co-ordinator Christene Walsh said the event is being held to make people aware of the services and supportive programs available to manage and overcome addictions. [continues 258 words]
An American scholar will be bringing his knowledge of Latin American history and the cocaine trade to Kelowna. Paul Gootenberg is a professor at the State University of New York in Stony Brook. This year saw the release of his book, called Andean Cocaine. Gootenberg will be speaking at UBC Okanagan on Oct. 23. He said he began researching the subject as a graduate student while specializing in the history of Andean export commodities. Gootenberg said little study had been done on the history of cocaine, and he became drawn by the range of fields the trade affected, from medical history to economic botany. [continues 221 words]
A former Kelowna resident was one of the men killed in a violent shooting in Mexico. B.C. men Jeffrey Ronald Ivans and Gordon Douglas Kendall were shot at the Gloria Sun Condominiums in Puerto Vallarta on Sept. 27, according to the Mexican publication Noticias Puerto Vallarta. Witnesses said a group of armed men arrived at the building. Ivans was shot five times by a 9 mm handgun. Witnesses confirmed that a young man shot Kendall and then pursued Ivans out to the pool area of the building, where Ivans' body was found. [continues 260 words]
Police work in the Shuswap means having to do more with fewer resources. Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane, head of the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment, addressed the Downtown Improvement Association Jan. 14. Keane said the reality is the Salmon Arm detachment provides policing 24 hours a day, seven days a week across a jurisdiction that stretches from the midpoint of Enderby to Sicamous, Blind Bay and Sorrento. Usually the detachment has two officers on shift during the day. Keane added that each officer averages 24 ongoing investigations, including at least two sexual assault cases. [continues 502 words]
