NEWS RELEASE

CITY OF PORT MOODY/PORT MOODY POLICE DEPARTMENT

In December 2010 the management teams of the Port Moody Police Department and the Coquitlam RCMP met to deal with the issue of drugs and gangs in the Tri-Cities.

One of their solutions to combating this problem was the creation of an integrated squad of officers from both agencies dedicated solely to the suppression of drugs and gangs within our community. This group would represent the unique community it served by having Municipal and Federal Police Officers working as a single entity in one community.

Barely a year has passed since the inception of the RCMP-PMPD Integrated Drug and Gang Suppression Team (IDST) but, in that short time the Officers of the IDST have made a considerable impact in the Tri-Cities.

In their inaugural year, the IDST conducted over 360 checks of known criminals and has made over 200 drug seizures. The scope of their drug seizures ranges from cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, ecstasy, oxycodone pills, and marijuana by the pound.

As a direct result of their work, 96 Criminal charges have been recommended, 7 firearms (including 2 AK47’s) and multiple other weapons including brass knuckles, crowbars, mace, and nunchucks have been taken off the streets of the Tri-Cities.

In one of their recent files, their investigation lead to the execution of a search warrant at a Coquitlam residence. Inside the officers located an AK47 Automatic assault weapon with three fully loaded high-capacity firearm magazines. The officers also discovered numerous pre-packaged bags of marijuana, oxycodone pills, and cocaine all believed to be possessed for the purpose of trafficking.

As a result of this investigation 24 year old Michael Kim and 22 year old Hyun Shin of Coquitlam are facing over 10 criminal charges each. Both men are well known to Police in the Tri-Cities.

The violence associated with gangs, drugs and firearms is a problem for communities throughout the lower mainland. Through innovative ideas such as the IDST and the continued diligence of the Police, we will continue our efforts to ensuring the safety and security of the residents of the Tri-Cities.