Police take aim at meth problem in broad attack
Dozens arrested as residents enlisted to help identify drug-trafficking areas
A high-profile, violent offender is among dozens of people charged in a push by Calgary police officers to tackle a mounting meth problem in the city.
It’s called the Daylight Initiative, and police say the comprehensive investigation is “addressing the meth issue from all angles” by partnering with the community.
The operation began in December with a three-week-long investigation into street-level trafficking. So far, 32 people have been arrested for a combined 172 offences related to the trafficking of meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl.
Police data also show a yearover-year increase in impaireddriving cases involving meth, with 13 confirmed cases in 2017 and four in 2016. Police said results are still pending in “multiple 2018 cases and the number is expected to surpass that of 2017.”
In a year-end interview with Postmedia, interim police Chief Steve Barlow called a spike in personal and violent crimes “an unintended consequence” of meth use, saying people in the throes of addiction often use the profits of crime to fuel their habit.
“We’re seeing our break-and-enters and our thefts from vehicles, theft from garages and all those easily accessed places we think about. We’re seeing those on the rise,” Barlow said. “Our stolen autos are huge right now, and they ’re very, very dangerous.”
Insp. Kevin Forsen said while fentanyl is still an issue for police and “a community health issue,” meth use “is the driving force behind much of our property crime and random violence.”
“We can’t tackle this issue alone,” Forsen said in a news release. “It is going to take a huge collective effort to make an impact on the root causes of the meth issue — addictions and mental health being at the core.”
The service is asking Calgarians to help combat the spread of meth by watching for signs of ongoing drug trafficking from a residence in their community.
Police said suspicious activity related to trafficking includes:
Vehicles or people coming and going at all hours for brief periods of time.
Individuals leaving the residence and waiting in a nearby vehicle for a very brief period of time prior to returning to the home.
It is going to take a huge collective effort to make an impact on the root causes of the meth issue.
Abandoned vehicles near the area in question, typically with some form of damage.
Garbage, litter or discarded needles near the residence.
Police have been dealing with increasing meth-related incidents over the past five years.
Last year was the first time police saw more than 1,000 meth seizures in the city, and police say 2018 saw a seizure rate 108 per cent above the five-year average.
One of those arrested in the initiative is Natalie Pasqua, who was convicted of manslaughter for pushing 17-year-old Gage Prevost into the path of a CTrain in 2007.
Pasqua, 36, also admitted to charges of assault causing bodily harm and theft of a motor vehicle in connection with incidents last July.
She was charged with two offences during the first three weeks of the Daylight Initiative.
Anyone who suspects a drug house might be operating in their community is asked to call the Calgary Police Service Drug Tip Line at 403-428-8100, or email drugtips@calgarypolice.ca.
Tips can also be made anonymously by contacting CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www. calgarycrimestoppers.org.