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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
RCMP said Wednesday’s drug bust is of the typical size in Merritt. The seizure also resulted in the arrest of two locals and three from Chilliwack. Emily Wessel/Herald
Five nabbed in Merritt drug bust Police seized rifles, heroine, morphine, marijuana and cash from a Diamond Vale duplex By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
Merritt RCMP arrested five people and seized five grams of heroine, a number of morphine tablets, a small quantity of marijuana and three rifles after searching a Diamond Vale duplex on Wednesday as part of a drug trafficking investigation. They also seized several cell phones, a laptop that was stolen from a search and
rescue mobile unit, $3,090 in cash, bear spray, and electronic scales with cocaine residue on them. Merritt RCMP Const. Kelly Bartch said the seizure was an average size for its kind in the city. “It’s not odd to find guns and bear spray. This is pretty much what we get every time we’re dealing with drugs in the community and the search warrants we do,” he said. “It’s not
M E R R I T T
‘That’s all it takes, just a small bit of information, and we can take it from there.’ —MERRITT RCMP CONST. DERRICK FRANCIS
a quantity that’s large, but of course, when they’re selling, it’s coming and going all the time.” RCMP also seized about $400 in change. “There’s an example of people getting their vehicles broken into,” Merritt RCMP Const. Derrick Francis
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stolen property for the laptop. “We expect more charges to be coming forth on the other people,” Francis said. RCMP also encouraged anyone who notices suspicious activity to call the Merritt RCMP at 250378-4262 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-TIPS. “That’s all it takes, just a small bit of information, and we can take it from there,” Francis added.
None of the five people in the residence at the time of the warrant was renting the unit, he said. “They weren’t supposed to be in there, according to the rental agreement,” Francis said, adding that is part of the investigation. RCMP have formally charged Chilliwack’s Doug Marsden with possession of a controlled substance for trafficking and possession of
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said. “People grab coins out of ashtrays and this is where some of it’s ending up. The drug trade is very closely linked with our theft and with our break-and-enters. It’s all one big circle causing us grief.” Two of the five people arrested are
locals, while the other three are from Chilliwack. Officers said most of the drugs trafficked through Merritt come from the Lower Mainland, but the drug trade is tied to many other local crimes. “They really are just damaging our community,” Francis said. “The people right next door had to deal with this going on, just with the shared wall of their unit.”
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