DRUG BUST CORRALS 27

GRANDE PRAIRIE --More than two dozen city residents have been busted
for drug trafficking after an undercover police sweep this spring,
RCMP said yesterday.

Twenty-six adults and one youth have been charged with a total of 36
counts of drug trafficking and several other related offences, and
will make court appearances over the next several weeks.

The sweep, which began four months ago, involved officers from the
local detachment, RCMP K Division in Edmonton and the Edmonton Police
Service.

They seized small to medium sized quantities of cocaine, marijuana,
ecstasy, acid and speed, as well as about $7,000 in cash.

"Grande Prairie has recently ... seen the need for these sorts of
enforcement projects," said RCMP spokesman Const. Carol McKinley.

"By looking at what we've seen over the past four months, we obviously
see that there is a need for more dedicated effort."

Some people might be surprised at the places undercover officers were
able to purchase drugs, said McKinley.

"It wasn't just in the seedy, dark bars at an odd hour. It was
everywhere and it was at any given time of the day."