Independent Soldiers Arrested In Kamloops Drug Crackdown
Greg Carr
By CASSIDY OLIVIER
Staff reporter
Mar 21 2007
Drug-sting cases will be staggered
Federal Crown prosecutor Anthony Varesi said Monday the court system
should manage to weather the expected surge resulting from the massive
RCMP crackdown on the city's drug trade that began last week with the
arrest of two key figures of the Independent Soldiers street gang.
Following the high-profile arrests of 26-year-olds Jayme Russell and
Thomas Crawford - dubbed the gang's No. 1 and No. 2 men - police
announced plans to nab an estimated 35 other men and women as part of
the five-month investigation.
As of yesterday, 30 had been arrested.
However, despite this formidable total expected within such a short
period of time, Varesi said prosecutors won't have a problem
accommodating the sudden parade through the court room.
Likening the current round-up to a similar drug-related shake\down in
Kamloops in the summer of 2005, he said each case will progress
through the courts at a different pace, depending on the severity of
the charge and history of the accused.
"It shouldn't be a problem," he said, adding some of the charges from
the 2005 arrests resulted in jail terms ranging from 60 days to 30
months.
Meanwhile, the round-up began over the weekend with officers arresting
an undetermined number of individuals on drug charges in connection to
the investigation.
Although unable to provide exact details by press deadline, Kamloops
RCMP Cpl. Scott Wilson said the operation has progressed smoothly and
will continue to move ahead until all suspects had been brought into
custody.
"I can't go into the exact numbers," Wilson said Monday.
"But to date it has been very successful.
"We will continue to work on this for as long as it takes."
As part of the ongoing operation, Wilson said officers have maintained
24-hour surveillance on Russell and Crawford, both of whom were
released a day after their arrests.
Wilson said officers have knocked on their doors at all hours of the
night to ensure they are abiding by their terms of release.
"We are not too concerned with them getting a good night's sleep," he
said.
"We are doing this to make Kamloops a better place."
Mounties have knocked on the doors of the two Independent Soldiers at
all hours of the night to ensure they are abiding by their terms of
release.
"We are not too
concerned with them getting a good night's sleep," Cpl. Scott Wilson
said.
"We are doing this to make Kamloops a better place."
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This article didn't mention it but the men were arrested with homemade
bombs. This group is alleged by law enforcement to be trying to take
the drug trade away from the Hell's Angels in BC. Meanwhile Rick
Mandi, a former HAMC prospect has been granted parole and is living
with his sister. He says he is through with crime. This convicted
extortioner and known kidnapper has admitted to being an enforcer for
drug gangs while in prison. If he does get involved in crime again
hopefully his partners will help the police again like Chad Proctor
his old crime employee did.