ALERT-led organized crime investigation results in charges, drug seizures and frozen assets
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A lengthy organized crime investigation in southern Alberta has led to charges against nine people, drug seizures and the freezing of assets worth more than $2 million.
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Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams Insp. Brad Lundeen said Thursday that the two-year police investigation, called Project Leadline, dismantled an extensive drug network in southern Alberta.
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'The prime group was linked to Taber, Lethbridge and Coalhurst, but the scope of the investigation would have impacted all communities in the region,' said Lundeen.
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On April 29, police searched three Taber residences, making arrests and seizures. Residents of Taber, about 200 kilometres southeast of Calgary, were told they could expect a heavy police presence that day.
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As a result of those searches, ALERT seized $500,000 worth of drugs and froze more than $2 million in assets, including property, houses and bank accounts, linked to suspected drug trafficking activity, said Lundeen.
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'This group was using real estate to launder proceeds of crime,' he alleged.
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The drugs seized included five kilograms of cocaine, 22 grams of fentanyl, 253 grams of methamphetamine, 500 methamphetamine pills and a litre of GHB, as well as 1,132 grams of a suspected cocaine buffing agent. Police also seized $91,941 in cash and two firearms.
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Two Lethbridge residents, Duc Vo, 47, and Nga (Linda) Vo, 45, have been arrested, as have two Taber residents, Chantal Bareman, 40, and Ryden Melhalf, 20.
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Warrants have been issued for four Taber residents: Johan Braun-Suderman, 38; Kade Phillips, 36; Gerhard Wolf, 38; and Malachy Young, 23. A warrant has also been issued for a 19-year-old charged as a young offender.
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The nine suspects face a total of 63 charges related to participating in a criminal organization, drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
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Numerous agencies were involved in the ALERT-led Project Leadline investigation, including Lethbridge, Taber and Calgary police, various RCMP units, Canada Border Services Agency, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, Forensic Accounting Management Group and Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada.
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Money laundering investigations require specialized investigative tools to figure out where the cash is going, how it's being used and how attempts are being made to turn the money into legitimate income, said Lundeen.
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