Reports of free cocaine samples in Prince George lead to arrests
Following several reports of alleged drug dealers handing out what was claimed to be free samples of cocaine in Prince George, B.C., RCMP have arrested several men.
RCMP say a group of men were arrested for trafficking a controlled substance on Friday at 10 a.m. PT at a residence near First Avenue and Foothills Boulevard.
Cpl. Craig Douglass said all of the men had recently come to Prince George from the Lower Mainland and are believed to be involved in gang activity.
"It was clear that the only reason they were in our community were to involve themselves in illegal activities and that's something that is not uncommon," he said on Monday.
All of the men have been released on conditions including that they stay away from Prince George, and police said the investigation is continuing.
'The city has a very big problem'
RCMP said they are investigating two incidents. In the first case, a young woman in Prince George, B.C., said she was walking alone at night last week when she was approached by two men in a white van with blacked-out windows who offered her what they claimed was a free sample of cocaine.
"The passenger gave me a number and the cocaine saying, 'Just ask for Tommy,' but at the time I didn't know the cocaine was in there until he said, 'It's a sample,'" Clara Archibald said.
Archibald, 22, said she ran away from the van. She later reported the incident and turned over the sample to RCMP.
"I was scared, 'cause I thought like they could get out and they could abduct me and I could possibly never be seen again, and my heart was just racing," she said.
Two teens also reported being approached by a van with a similar description and being given a white powder in a small plastic bag and a number.
The teens took down the licence plate number, which was reported to police along with the incident.
"The city has a very big problem," Lee Stewart, who runs a community watch page on Facebook, told Daybreak North's Russell Bowers.
"It is a little unusual … this is putting themselves right out there. They're making no effort to cover their plates."
Archibald said she thinks it's safer not to walk alone.
"Do not walk by yourself. It's best if you just walk in a group, because then they've got no chance of scaring you or making you do what they want if you're in a large group. If you're in a large group you can look out for each other," she said.
Stewart said a group will offer safety, but he isn't sure how far it will go as a deterrent to dealers.
"Obviously, they're quite brazen, they're coming right out. I think numbers would just give them more people to talk to," he said.
To hear the full interview with Lee Stewart, listen to the audio labelled: Free 'cocaine' worries Prince George residents.
