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Police Making Progress in Fight against Illegal Drugs


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Thursday, April 15, 2004 - Saint Lucia is leading other countries in the Eastern Caribbean in the eradication of marijuana fields. That is the word from Commissioner of Police, Ausbert Regis. He says the force has been on an aggressive campaign to destroy marijuana plants island wide.

The latest eradication exercise was conducted on Wednesday, April 15th, 2004 when fifteen lawmen under the auspices of the Drugs Unit combed the hills and valleys of Grace, Vieux-Fort, uprooting and burning marijuana plants in a fight the police say is being conducted at the source of the supply chain.

Head of the Drugs Unit, Inspector Henry Inglis says the mission is to ensure that no marijuana grown in Saint Lucia reaches the street.

Mr. Regis, who joined his men in the field where the latest eradication drive took place, says his men are working hard and having success in frustrating the efforts to get drugs into the streets. He commended the officers, whom he said seldom attract positive attention even when they are working against tremendous odds.
The drug eradication on Wednesday yielded a bounty for police. Over 2,000 plants with a wholesale value of $70,000 were destroyed. In 2003 police destroyed over 40,000. With this latest count in a single excursion, the tally is mounting this year.

Inspector Inglis says despite the police resolve to take the fight to the fields, more marijuana plots are springing up. He says the police are committed to the course.

The men and women leading the fight contend with more than one enemy, as the desperate owners of the illegal marijuana plots, rough terrain, and the absence of a key ally in the drug war make the exercise difficult and dangerous. This year, the police are not counting on the support of the United States on the ground. Commissioner Regis says with the new priorities of the military, no aerial support has been promised for this year.

 


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