Project Turrets

Vancouver - The Vancouver Police is committed to reduce property crime by 20% over the next five years. The city's drug problem drives the property crime. Residents and merchants in the Downtown Eastside don't want the open air drug trade, and shouldn't have to be afraid to walk in their own neighbourhood. Project TURRETS is part of our greater effort to reduce break and enters and theft from autos throughout Vancouver. We believe the residents of the Downtown Eastside have a right to feel just as safe on their streets, as residents in other parts of the city.

Project TURRETS was an undercover drug enforcement operation targeting street level cocaine dealers. The project ran for eight days during the period of February 26^th to March 6^th. Project TURRETS centred on the area of Carrall and Hastings Street and was part of our ongoing efforts to suppress and disrupt the open air drug market in the Downtown Eastside. This project was highly successful and generated many charges and arrests.

Some statistics from Project TURRETS:

• 57 charges against 44 separate drug dealers.

• 55 of the charges were for trafficking and 2 were for obstructing a police officer.

• We began our roundup of suspects this last Monday, the 21^st, and have arrested 33 suspects to date.

• 41 of the suspects were male and the rest were female, ranging in age from 17 to 51 years.

• The average age was 30 years.

• In addition to the profit from trafficking in drugs, 59% collect welfare.

• 50% were Canadian citizens and 40% were refugee claimants (remainder are landed and 1 is protected).

• The majority of Canadians resided in the DTES or were NFA.

• 24 out of 25 of the Canadian suspects have previous criminal convictions or charges before the courts.

• This group included the hard-core drug addicts that traffic to support their own habits.

• 18 of the suspects were refugee claimants who had been in Canada between 2 weeks and 13 years.

• The majority of the refugee claimants did not reside in the DTES. (The remainder from D3, New West & Surrey).

• They are not generally drug-addicted - they are for-profit drug dealers.

• 10 of these refugee claimants have either criminal records or deportation orders in the U.S.

• 6 have current charges before the court not related to this project. Of those charges, 5 are drug related.

• 4 have previous drug convictions in the U.S.

• 1 has been previously deported.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM MORNING MEDIA BRIEFING

VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT

2005.03.23

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