N.W.T. RCMP warn of drug traffickers 'coercing' their way into people's homes to conduct business

RCMP in the N.W.T. are warning about what they say is a trend in many communities: drug traffickers who coerce their way into peoples' homes, then stay and do business.

In the last two weeks, there have been two drug busts in the territory: one in Fort Smith on Nov. 18 and one in Inuvik, announced on Nov. 14. In both instances, RCMP issued news releases highlighting the apparent trend.

N.W.T. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Matt Halstead says one reason it's happening is because apartment buildings and row houses are places with more foot traffic, where it's easier for traffickers to conceal their dealings.

On CBC's The Trailbreaker Wednesday morning, Halstead told guest host Marc Winkler that police are seeing the apparent trend in N.W.T. communities where there are drug problems, including Hay River, Fort Providence, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Fort Simpson, Yellowknife and Inuvik.   

"It's hard to have a sense of who should be there [in a residential building] and who shouldn't be there at different times of the day, to kind of build our grounds for that — so that's why we really rely on people who live in the communities, who live in these buildings, to provide information for us so that we can have a starting point for our investigations," he said.

Halstead said a scenario police have come across repeatedly is people who struggle with addictions making contact with traffickers to support their addictions, and then the sellers ask to stay in their houses saying it will just be for a night or two. 

"And what we're seeing is that the people aren't leaving," he said.

Halstead said that sometimes there are threats of violence or of retribution and that the homeowners take on the risk of having drugs in their house and are often having to meet people at the door and in hallways. 

"So it's easy for the people to try and shift the blame when the police come in, and say, 'well, no, that's not mine, it's the homeowners,'" he said.

He said it also creates reluctance to call RCMP.

'No public interest' in charging people struggling

It's illegal to have people sell drugs out of your house, but Halstead said the RCMP recognize homeowners are not always willing participants.

"We try and take it on a case-by-case scenario," he said. 

"There's no public interest in charging people who are maybe struggling with addictions or food or housing insecurity to put them at greater risk of those issues. So we just focus on the drug dealers in that situation."

Halstead emphasized that RCMP rely on residents to report suspicious activity and said police are working to disrupt trafficking and respond quickly to reports, even when it doesn't immediately result in charges. 

"Maybe that means going to the houses and knocking on the door — we don't need a warrant to talk to homeowners. So I think that when you call in with information, that there will be more tangible action."