The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team has seized millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs following a year-long investigation into an organized crime group that was operating in Calgary.

ALERT seized $5M worth of cocaine, fentanyl, and other drugs that were being trafficked throughout the province.

“Not only did we keep these drugs off the street and make sweeping arrests, we managed to hit the group where it hurts the most, their finances,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Seper, ALERT Calgary and team commander. “Organized crime exists to profit through illegal means, and as demonstrated by the weapons and guns seized, crime groups will resort to any means to achieve that profit and of course that comes at the expense of our communities through violence, addiction and fraud.”

The drugs were seized after seven search warrants were executed in Calgary on February 4.

The drugs seized include:

  • 40 kilograms of cocaine
  • 11,597 fentanyl pills
  • 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine
  • 545 grams of heroin
  • 182 grams of MDMA
  • 450 grams of marihuana
  • 60 kilograms of Phenacetin

Five luxury vehicles and $600,000 cash from the proceeds of crime was also seized and will be submitted to the province’s Civil Forfeiture Office.

12 people were arrested and face 66 charges related to conspiracy, organized crime, weapons and the proceeds of crime.

  • Mustafa Al-Bedrawi, a 23-year-old man from Calgary
  • James Joseph Bailey, 43-year-old man from Surrey, B.C.
  • Todd Randall Chapman, a 31-year-old man from Smithers, B.C.
  • Duy-Tam Benny Phan, a 20-year-old man from Calgary
  • Tam Thanh Bryan Phan, a 19-year-old man from Calgary
  • Dennis Galen Ross, a 27-year-old man from Smithers, B.C.
  • Khoa That Ton, a 29-year-old man from Calgary
  • Tommy That Ton, a 19-year-old man from Calgary
  • Nguyen Duong Yen Phung Tran, a 19-year-old woman from Calgary
  • Donna Thanh Phoung Tran, a 33-year-old woman from Calgary
  • Thanh Hoang Tony Truong, 34-year-old man from Calgary
  • Ronald Gene Wan Wong, 35-year-old man from Calgary

Police say they have completely impeded the group's ability to function by wiping out their finances.

“This is a high level group that operates throughout Alberta and Calgary. By the evidence you see before you their scope of their operations and the breadth of what they do was very sophisticated and they are a large group,” said Seper. “This will have an impact within the drug distribution in Calgary no doubt about that.”

Investigators say that the alleged roles of the suspects arrested varied and included suppliers, manufacturers, and street-level traffickers.

They say the group operated under the leadership of co-accused Donna Thanh Phoung Tran and Ronald Gene Wan Wong.