Sgt. Tim Sterkel has been picking on small-time drug dealers and he wants the community to help.

Over the last few months, the drug enforcement officer for the Oak Harbor Police Department has been targeting people who sell small amounts of marijuana from apartments and trailer parks. He said he started after managers of the residential complexes complained to police about drug dealing.

While the police have a zero-tolerance policy about drugs, Sterkel said he really became convinced about the need to stop the penny-ante pot peddlers when he saw teenagers going to the traffickers’ apartments.

“I saw kids obviously just getting out of school,” he said, “eight to 10 of them stopping at these residences.”

Over the last five weeks, Sterkel has made three drug busts, and arrested six people, within walking distance of the high school. Police served two separate search warrants at Olympic Apartments on E. Whidbey Avenue on Feb. 18 and March 18.

This week, police served a search warrant on Oak Bay Station apartments next to the Roller Barn.

In all, police seized less than five ounces of pot.

Sterkel got tips about suspected drug dealers from managers and neighbors. He worked with confidential informants who completed drug buys.

Sterkel said neighbors were obviously happy, even clapping, when police busted the suspected drug dealers.

“I wouldn’t want to live there, next to a drug dealer, no matter how small,” he said.

Sterkel urges other residents who want to get rid of their not-so-friendly neighborhood drug dealers to give him a call at 279-4617.

You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.