Southern Alberta police agencies conclude 2-year drug trafficking operation
For two years, officers with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) teamed up with members of the Lethbridge Police Service, Taber Police Service and RCMP to dismantle a drug trafficking ring in southern Alberta.
Dubbed 'Operation Leadline', the investigation targeted a sophisticated, high-level criminal organization with representation in Lethbridge, Coalhurst and Taber.
'This investigation, although it took a long time, it had a significant community impact,' said Graham Abela, chief of the Taber Police.
Despite spanning several jurisdictions, officers worked together to ensure the organization could be taken down.
'When law enforcement agencies work together, we are strong, more effective and better positioned to keep our communities safe,' said Shahin Mehdizadeh, chief of the Lethbridge Police.
According to ALERT, the criminal organization profited from drug trafficking, sales and then laundered their dirty money.
Story continues below advertisement
'The individuals that are impacting our community by bringing in poisons like crystal methamphetamine and cocaine into our community do nothing except profit and create harm. ALERT is doing their job in making sure our communities are safe,' said Abela.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
In total, over $500,000 in drugs and another $2 million in criminal assets were seized by officers during the operation.
'The restrained assets include property, houses, bank accounts. ALERT alleges that this group was using real estate to launder proceeds of crime,' said Brad Lundeen, an inspector with the RCMP and ALERT.
Currently, four people have been arrested and charged, while an additional five people have been charged and are wanted on warrants. According to ALERT, the three main leaders in the group are included in those arrested.
'Together (all nine people charged) face 63 charges related to participation in a criminal organization, drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy and money laundering,' said Lundeen.
He says Operation Leadline could help future investigations as well.
'We often utilize that intelligence from former investigations to assist us in moving forward, so I'm sure in this case that will be likely in the future.'
But at the end of the day, ALERT and Lundeen say it's crucial for residents to help officers by providing information.
Story continues below advertisement
'Our investigations are driven by intelligence and we always look to the community to provide us information. If you see something that is linked to what you believe is drug trafficking or organized crime, please let your police agency know about that.'
Items seized during the investigation include two firearms, over 5,000 grams of cocaine, over 1,100 grams of a suspected cocaine buffing agent, 22 grams of fentanyl, 253 grams of methamphetamine, 500 methamphetamine pills, 1,000 ml of GHB and over $90,000 in cash.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
RCMP finally discovers identify of mysterious 1985 Air India bomb-testing suspect
Article content BANTRY, Ireland — Police in British Columbia have finally identified the mysterious man who helped test a bomb on Vancouver Island a few weeks before the Air India bombing on June 23, 1985. Article content RCMP Asst. Commissioner David Teboul told Postmedia that the previously unidentified suspect in the mass murder case recently died without ever facing charges. Article content Article content He said he couldn't release the name of the man due to privacy laws even though he's now dead. Article content Teboul and several other RCMP officers are part of the Canadian delegation here to mark the 40th anniversary of the Air India bombing. Dozens of relatives of victims are arriving to attend the service at a memorial to the 329 people who died when a B.C.-made bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland. Article content Article content Teboul, who is the commander of federal policing in B.C., said that despite the acquittals of two key bombing suspects in 2005, investigators have continued to work on the file 'to tie up some loose ends and discover more truth that's independent of judicial process.' Article content That's what lead them to uncover the identity of the mystery suspect, dubbed Mr. X, who travelled to Duncan on June 4, 1985, with terror plot mastermind Talwinder Singh Parmar. The two men then joined up with electrician Inderjit Singh Reyat. Article content Article content The trio went into the woods and tested a bomb all while they were being followed by agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The agents heard the blast but thought it was a gunshot. Article content Article content Parmar, founder of the Babbar Khalsa Sikh separatist group, was killed by police in Punjab in 1992 before he could be charged in the Air India terrorism plot. Article content Reyat was convicted of manslaughter for building another bomb that exploded at Japan's Narita Airport 54 minutes before the Air India blast. Two baggage handlers were killed. And he pleaded guilty to assisting Mr. X and Parmar build the Air India bomb. Article content Article content Teboul said that while there is an continuing investigation 'there's very little realistic chance of seeing this matter go to another trial.'
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. Public Safety Minister says program funding targets repeat violent offenders
SURREY – British Columbia's public safety minister says the provincial government is adding another $6 million to a policing initiative targeting repeat violent offenders. Gary Begg says the money for the Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement program will build on the initiative's past successes in leading to more than 2,600 criminal charges since its launch in 2023. Begg says the funding has supported nearly 150 investigations in dozens of communities, leading to 'substantial' seizures of weapons, drugs and stolen goods. The minister, who's a former RCMP officer, says policing challenges have been made more complex as 'mental health struggles, the toxic opioid crisis and homelessness have intensified in recent years.' Begg says the program was launched originally as a three-year pilot project aimed at boosting policing capacity, and police departments now say it's 'as a critical tool in combating repeat violence.' He says the funding for the program has benefited agencies, including the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, and is also credited by Vancouver police for a substantial drop in violent crime along the city's Hastings Street. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Man charged with impaired driving in fatal crash in Nanaimo, B.C.
A 47-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving and impaired driving causing death following a two-vehicle collision last year on Vancouver Island. Samuel Brody Taylor, born in 1978, was arrested and charged this week in relation to the collision that killed a 42-year-old woman in Nanaimo, according to court records and the RCMP. A statement from the Nanaimo RCMP on Friday says Taylor was located and arrested on June 17, one day after the charges were approved by provincial prosecutors. Police were called to the crash on the Nanaimo Parkway, between the Dunster Road overpass and the Doumont Road bridge, at approximately 8:30 p.m. on August 10, 2024. Joy Pecknold, the one occupant of a northbound SUV, died in hospital after her vehicle was struck head-on by a dark-coloured sedan. The man driving the sedan was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Witnesses told investigators the car crossed a median into oncoming traffic before colliding with the SUV. The Nanaimo Parkway was closed in both directions for several hours following the collision. Taylor has been released from police custody pending his first scheduled appearance in Nanaimo provincial court on June 24. 'The victim's family were advised of Taylor's arrest,' the Nanaimo RCMP statement said. 'As the matter is before the courts, no further information will be released.'
