85 Grams: Art Williams - Drug Czar

For decades following the disappearance of Arthur James Williams little has enlarged the public perception of Ladysmith, British Columbia. It remains a nondescript settlement of 8500 residents built into the side of a hill, with guaranteed views of the industry that consumed the harbour since its day of inception. During the 60's it was a small hamlet a fraction the size it is today, with residents content to be removed from the pace of big city life. For those travelling north along the Trans Canada Highway, the only item of note was the rock cairn on the west side of the highway recording the 49th parallel. Then came the early 70's when Arthur and Margaret Williams took residence on a plot of land just south of the Village boundary. At first Art's presence drew no attention, but that soon changed as he became an expert in all things related to archery. On the heels of this venture he began accumulating a handful of trusted allies and put his mind to perfecting one of the few synthetic drugs feeding the hungry pallet of the days counter culture. For over a decade the authorities suspected the drugs were flowing from labs located in the vicinity of Ladysmith but they were stymied as to where and by whom. With time the authorities narrowed down the source of supply; Art Williams was affording them as much stealth attention as they themselves could afford. For the better part of the following decade Art Williams fabricated a cat and mouse game with the RCMP unequalled in the history of the Pacific Northwest. Most members of the force were humbled to admit that Art Williams was a genius with skills coined as that of a wizard. With time they realized he was the mastermind behind what has been recorded as the largest synthetic drug cartel in North America. With each week the tabloid headlines of the 70's grew larger and more cinematic as the RCMP drew at scraps of Art's enterprise slowly exposing itself to be a machine serving the needs of the entire west coast from California to Alaska and east to Manitoba. While society cannot always choose its future, Ladysmith had finally achieved a level of notoriety well beyond its preceding years. Most of the principle characters have passed on or vaporized into obscurity, yet if you were to seek information from the RCMP regarding the exploits of that day, they would share nothing, but rather suggest the related files are 'active' and the matter is 'still under investigation'. If you leaned towards the conspiracy card, there is ample fodder to feed the gossip mill. The most gripping platform would be that of the confidential informant E752; a man who continues to watch over his shoulder even with 40 years of history between today and his involvement. His closing comment: "The week prior to Art crashing, I took a wax imprint of his planes' key at the request of someone involved in the investigation. You can't kill a guy and call it an accident. On the day he crashed, I was in Quebec, yet I could have stopped the whole thing in its tracks but I didn't. Now I have to take that to my grave". One doesn't have to read between the lines to add an element of credence to the theory that there is more to the story than what meets the eye. This same individual preaches today that "politicians, cops and entire governments were being bought for cash on Monday and traded for favours on Tuesday" and he would know better than any.