SURREY ON ALERT FOR DRUG-DEALERS SHIFT

Jason Proctor, Staff Reporter The Province Surrey police are visiting
malls, recreation centres, apartments and youth centres in a bid to ward
off Vancouver's drug problem before it crosses the Fraser River.

A week after Vancouver police busted dozens of crack dealers in the
downtown east side, Surrey has yet to see the kind of fallout New
Westminster did with the discovery last weekend of young girls caught
dealing cocaine.

But the migration of drug dealers under heat is a proven fact, says Surrey
RCMP Const. Grant Learned, and police hope to be on top of the problem
before it starts.

"It hasn't been something that has been problematic, but we want to take a
leadership role," Learned said. "There is a process . . . to help prepare
for problems."

Police and immigration officials met yesterday to combine information and
prepare for drug activity some expect to appear in Whalley now that
Vancouver police have increased pressure on dealers.

During enforcement campaigns, criminal activity often goes underground for
a while before resurfacing in other areas. New Westminster and Whalley,
because of proximity to SkyTrain, are prime targets for dealers on the move.

Surrey RCMP Cpl. Paul Fletcher is one of the officers in charge of
educating Whalley merchants and youth workers about the problem. He visited
malls this week, talking to security guards; next week he intends to visit
recreation centres, apartment managers and youth centres.

"This is just an educational tool to give us a heads-up," said Fletcher.
"We want to be prepared for the problem if it comes to Surrey."

The threat is real -- especially after New Westminster police caught nearly
a dozen girls aged 11 to 15 last weekend, holding and dealing crack for
some of the people picked up in Operation Scoop.

This week, school-liaison officers warned children about dealers who
frequent popular teen hangouts looking for young marks to front their drug
operations.

The threat to other communities isn't likely to decline, with Vancouver
police vowing to keep up the pressure on dealers in the downtown east side.
Const. Anne Drennan said police arrested eight dealers on Tuesday night
and another 10 on Wednesday.