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UN Gang member arrested in Burnaby supplied drugs to Abbotsford

Information that the Abbotsford Police Department's (APD) gang suppression unit received about a drug supply line in the community has led to the arrest of a Burnaby man affiliated with the UN Gang.
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Items seized by police during a raid of a Burnaby homes included a handgun

Information that the Abbotsford Police Department's (APD) gang suppression unit received about a drug supply line in the community has led to the arrest of a Burnaby man affiliated with the UN Gang.

The 28-year-old man was arrested Tuesday at about 1 p.m. after police executed a search warrant in the 4400 block of Buchanan Street in Burnaby.

Seized from the residence were a hangun, a kilogram of cocaine, 800 grams of meth, 1/3 kilogram of heroin and more than $56,000 in cash.

Police are recommending charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking and firearms offences. The suspect's name has not yet been released.

APD spokesperson Ian MacDonald said the gang suppression unit (GSU) received information that the man was supplying drugs to dealers in Abbotsford and elsewhere.

Surveillance was conducted on the home, and assistance in executing the warrant was provided by the APD drug enforcement unit, the Burnaby RCMP drug section and the RCMP Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team.

MacDonald said members of the GSU described the operation as "one of the most successful and cooperative" they have conducted with outside agencies.

He said the suspect was working at a "fairly high level" in the UN Gang, and his arrest is a "pretty big deal."

"We think it's significant because if (the home) is supplying drug lines to Abbotsford, it's part of our mandate, as far as public safety is concerned, (to shut it down)."

When the GSU was formed a year ago, its goal was to target gangsters who live in Abbotsford or who ply their trade here.

MacDonald said some who previously lived here have left, but continue their ties to the city.

"The heat for some people is too intense here, but there's still a market (for drugs) ... They don't want to lose their business."

At Tuesday's police board meeting, Deputy Chief Rick Lucy spoke of the success the GSU has had since forming.

From May to December 2010, 19 search warrants were executed, resulting in the seizure of drugs and weapons, and charges being laid against several gangsters.

This year, the GSU has set a goal of charging 30 key gang associates, and so far have charged 14.

The APD's goal of reducing violent crime by 10 per cent this year has so far been met and is currently down 27 per cent for 2011, compared to the same period last year.



Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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