Get the details at INCIDENT REPORT

Bill Duke

Editor

It was a startling scene for a community that prides itself on its quiet, unassuming nature.

Early Tuesday afternoon local RCMP, along with the Calgary RCMP Emergency Response Team, executed a drug search warrant on a Centre Street house in Strathmore.

One youth and three adults were arrested while cocaine, marijuana and magic mushrooms were seized.

Passersby stood in shock as police barricaded an entire block and discharged two devices known as “flashbangs” meant to disorient the house’s inhabitants before the authorities entered. Several members of the Emergency Response Team, the RCMP’s version of a SWAT outfit, stood outside the residence, weapons in hand, while the rest of the team swept the house.

The raid comes as part of an ongoing investigation into Strathmore’s burgeoning drug trade. According to RCMP, the residence has been suspected as a drug house for some time.

“There’s an ongoing investigation that I can’t compromise by commenting further on that,” said Strathmore RCMP Cst. Clint Chisan.

According to Chisan, the timing of such a raid is dictated by several factors, including the RCMP’s desire to execute a warrant at a time when there was likely to be drugs in the house. Doing so during midday hours also offers an additional benefit.

“In the middle of the day, generally children are in school,” he explained. “That’s one consideration as to why it was done when it was.”

The raid included a number of police vehicles and at least 15 officers, some in plain clothes.

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The revelation that such an alleged operation exists in Strathmore came as a shock to a handful of neighbours who gathered on the sidewalk to observe the spectacle. They claimed the arrested individuals presented little disruption to the neighbourhood.

“There was a lot of noise late at night sometimes,” said one neighbour.

“Sometimes we’d hear the dog barking,” said another.

At the time of the raid there was a pile of junk in the front of the residence, including an old couch and some boxes. According to area residents, such a mess was a common site, although the contents of the pile often changed.

Following the arrests, an RCMP Sergeant explained the situation to the group who had congregated near the residence.

Many lamented the fact that an alleged drug operation had been functioning on their street, right under their noses.

It’s a sad reality that residents of Strathmore must start getting used to.

“It’s an issue we’re taking seriously,” said Chisan. “I think that a lot of the people in the community are aware of it. From time to time we get calls from people in Strathmore regarding other drug related residences and people.

“Is it prevalent or not? Certainly I think it is.”

Chisan describes the raid as having gone “perfectly” with no injuries sustained by either side.

The RCMP could not comment on whether this particular operation functioned in isolation or as part of a larger drug network.

Chisan was unwilling to admit that Strathmore’s proximity to Calgary is a major contributor to the problem.

“It has something to do with it, but I know of other communities of a similar size that have drug problems significantly worse than this. So I don’t know if that is the reason.”

However, it is clear that the four arrests will not signal the end of the drug trade in Strathmore.

“I think this is the beginning,” said Chisan. “We’re climbing a mountain here and we’re close to the bottom of it right now.
Article ID# 1586699