‘Huge amount of drugs’ taken off streets: Elsner

BY LAUREL MYERS

The Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) has taken another big step towards improving the safety of the streets by taking $350,000 worth of drugs out of circulation.

The Joint Forces Drug unit – consisting of members of the GSPS and the Ontario Provincial Police Drug Enforcement section – has been conducting an investigation known as Project Digger, which has been ongoing for the past six years, Deputy Chief Frank Elsner said at a press conference Monday morning.

“Over the last month, we’ve been working on a particular case that involves a number of people and drugs,” he said.

“On Jan. 31, members of the joint task force Digger conducted a search warrant at a local residence here in the city.”
Police seized 883.7 grams of cannabis marijuana, 1.2 grams cannabis resin, 3400.81 grams cocaine, a 22-caliber handgun with magazine cartridge, a 1998 Jeep TY worth $12,000, three cellular phones and two digital scales.

James Dykeman, 24 of Sudbury, has been charged with a number of drug- and weapon-related charges.

“The value seized was in excess of $350,000, which is a huge amount of drugs for a city of our size,” Elsner said.
“This seizure and the impact on our city is significant. This amount of drugs off our city streets will have a huge impact on the type and number of drugs floating around within our community.”

Though the drug bust was a step in the right direction for the GSPS, Chief of Police Ian Davidson said there is still much to be done on the part of the government and it needs to be done quickly.

“This is a very significant seizure and we’re very pleased it has occurred, but really, it’s one of hundreds that occurs across Canada on a regular basis,” he said. “And when we see people who are prepared to arm themselves and engage in criminal activity, we think the government has to send a very clear message that the consequences will be very severe.”

Bill C-2, which looks at a number of aspects of the criminal justice system including mandatory minimum sentences for the use or possession of firearms, is currently before the government, Davidson explained.

“I think parliament has to act and we have to expect that people who engage in this type of criminal behaviour will go to jail for a long time.”

The investigation is still ongoing. Though Davidson would not comment on whether others were suspected to be involved, he said, “this level of drugs and the possession of firearms is indicative of a certain level of organization, and usually requires more than one person.”