A man was found murdered in Surrey Monday morning, making this year's body count an all-time record for this city.
The man of unknown identity was found dead outside a residence near 99 Avenue and 120 Street.
It brings to 22 the number of murders in Surrey this year, topping the 2005 record of 21.
In that year, Surrey outstripped the 2001 record of 18 homicide cases.
In 2005, police said they were dealing with a large number of violent drug-related offenses, with meth manufacturers and marijuana growers becoming increasingly violent.
At the time, police said getting control of the illicit drug trade might help reduce the murder rate.
Staff Sgt. Brian Cantera told The Leader eight years ago that investigators would like to see laws that make it easier to go after dealers by getting phone records faster and making it simpler to seize proceeds of crime.
Today, Surrey RCMP say the majority of murders are gang-related or due to a high-risk lifestyle.
Nonetheless, out of the 36 files the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is handling this year, 21 of them are in Surrey, representing 58 per cent of IHIT's caseload in the region.