Undercover cops infiltrate Vernon drug trade

December 02, 2013 - 1:12 PM Info-Tel Multimedia By Charlotte Helston
VERNON - It would have seemed like a typical drug deal. Crack cocaine or heroine exchanged for cash on a Vernon street. But what 16 dealers didn’t know was their customers were undercover cops. Operation ‘EPACESETTER’ was executed in September, leading members of the Vernon Targeted Policing Section to recommend trafficking charges against 11 men and five women. A total of 21 street quantity drug buys of powder cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin were made during the four-day operation. While many of the charges have already been approved by Crown counsel, several others are awaiting charge approval and arrest warrant execution. Of the 16 people charged, 13 have previous criminal records and 10 have previous convictions for drug related offences. “Drug use and trafficking is a root cause of a large percentage of crime that affects our local citizens, through ongoing efforts like this we hope to reduce it,” Sgt. David Evans, of the Targeted Policing Unit said. Such operations are conducted once or twice a year. Undercover drug investigations have led to the prosecution of several dealers in the past year. “Our detachment will endeavor to continue to disrupt drug trafficking activities in an effort to prosecute those responsible,” Evans said.