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Fights, drugs and alcohol calls keep RCMP busy

Long weekend revelry results in arrests, evictions and tickets

Despite efforts to curb underage drinking, fighting and other bad behaviour during the Victoria Day long weekend, the RCMP were kept busy around the clock answering calls and patrolling public areas.

The most serious incident was a fight in the village where one of the participants threatened another with a knife, although the police also answered numerous calls regarding fist fights, trashed hotel rooms, drug trafficking, underage drinking and a variety of other offences. There were no serious injuries reported.

"There have been worse years, we know there is a history here where people have ended up in the hospital," said Sergeant Shawn LeMay of the weekend. "We all put in long hours, and it was a busy time. We would prefer if people partied in a responsible way and were respectful of others."

A summary of the weekend includes over 80 tickets for open possession of alcohol, 34-plus traffic violations, 20-plus prisoners in detachment jail cells, 10-plus tickets for urinating in public, 10-plus hotel room evictions, three impaired drivers, two 12 hour driving suspensions and ten 24 hour driving suspensions. They were for obstructing a police officer and damaging flora, which is a bylaw related to littering.

The fun got underway on Friday, May 21 with a highway safety check stop at Function Junction. Several vehicles were stopped and investigated for traffic and liquor offences, including open liquor in a motor vehicle, minors in possession of alcohol and numerous Motor Vehicle Act Infractions such as driving contrary to restrictions and beginner drivers without proper "L" or "N" tags.

A large quantity of alcohol was poured out and drugs seized.

That evening at 9 p.m. the Whistler RCMP arrested a 22-year-old Surrey male who was observed trafficking drugs from his vehicle in the Whistler Marketplace parking lot. He was found in possession of cocaine and cash, and is facing charges for trafficking a controlled substance.

At 3 a.m. on Saturday morning the RCMP stopped a vehicle on Lorimer Road that resulted in roadside test for a 27 year old female from North Vancouver. After failing she was brought to the detachment for a breathalyzer and provided two samples of .140 and .130 per cent, and is now facing charges of impaired driving and driving over 0.08 in addition to receiving a 90-day driving prohibition.

That morning the RCMP were also called to a hotel to investigate a complaint of willful damage to a room, and arrested a 19 year old male from Surrey. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor.

At 4:30 p.m. on Saturday an RCMP foot patrol came upon an altercation in the village where one individual was brandishing a roughly six-inch knife at another group of males. After investigating the police discovered that there had been an altercation between the two groups, and during the fight the 22-year-old male from Surrey pulled the folding knife. He was arrested for possession of a dangerous weapon and held in custody until he could appear before a Justice of the Peace. He was released with various conditions, including a "no go" ban for Whistler. He will make his first court appearance on June 16, 2010.

The RCMP confirmed that several individuals were in town with known gang affiliations, but could not say whether the individual who was arrested was affiliated with any gangs.

According to Sgt. Lemay it was only one of several fights that members attended over the weekend.

"There were groups in Whistler, different families, different school groups that are in conflict," and that were prone to fighting, said Sgt. LeMay.

Other fights appeared to be random. In one case a male that had been evicted from a hotel room had arranged to meet another male in a nearby forest to fight. In another, the individuals wouldn't even admit there had been a fight despite obvious red marks on their faces.

At 10:45 p.m. on Saturday night the Whistler RCMP executed a search warrant at a residential unit on Northlands Boulevard, which was the result of an ongoing investigation into an alleged drug trafficking ring. The RCMP seized a large bag of marijuana, plus a quantity of cocaine and other drugs in pill form that are being tested and could be ecstasy.

A 22-year-old female and 27-year-old male, both of Whistler, are now facing charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking and will appear in court in North Vancouver on June 16. There were 10 other individuals at the residence, including a male who attempted to flee and was later found to be in possession of drugs. Charges are being considered against him and others at the residence.

Sgt. LeMay says the arrests are part of an ongoing strategy by the detachment to make Whistler a drug-free community.

On Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m. the Whistler RCMP attended the seventh floor of a local hotel after getting a report of an intoxicated male causing problems for staff. The police discovered that the male, a 20 year old from Burnaby, was in breach of his probation conditions for consuming liquor and breaking his curfew. He was held in custody until a bail hearing, and charged with breaching his probation.

On Sunday afternoon the RCMP arrested two young males, likely underage, for drug trafficking after one of the males was discovered in possession of a variety of drugs.

"I had the opportunity to see what he was in possession of and it was overwhelming," said Sgt. LeMay. "He had a half dozen baggies of different drugs, cocaine, crack, ecstasy and others. We believe he came to Whistler to establish a clientele."

At 8:30 p.m. on Sunday the RCMP attended a local hotel after they received a report of a fight on the second floor. The RCMP arrived at the scene and spoke to an 18 year old from Coquitlam who said he had been assaulted. However, he was soon arrested for being intoxicated in a public place, and found in possession of two grams of marijuana. He now faces charges of possession of a controlled substance.