Police have seized $700,000 worth of drugs after executing warrants on several Calgary properties and three men are now facing a slew of charges.
Police launched an investigation into a suspected drug trafficking group and searched homes in Saddle Ridge, Radisson Heights and Douglasdale last Tuesday.
Investigators believe that the Douglasdale residence was also operating as a cocaine conversion lab.
“This is a significant amount of cash that was invested in the production of the narcotics and then the actual seizure is a significant amount that was seized,” said CPS Staff Sgt. Garth Kowalyk. “It is a concern for law enforcement because we’re getting to the quantities where it adversely affects the homes that are around it and obviously is a benefit to organized crime.”
The following items were seized during the investigation:
- 3,139 fentanyl pills
- 498 grams of heroin
- 1.4 kilograms of cocaine
- 885 grams of the cocaine buffing agent phenacetin
- 1.1 kilograms of methamphetamine
- 308 grams of GHB
- 214 grams of MDMA
- 8.9 kilograms of marijuana
- 25 grams of cannabis resin
- $22,680 cash proceeds of crime
“There weren’t weapons seized in this one, which is actually surprising based on the quantity of narcotics and the money that was associated with this,” said Staff Sgt. Kowalyk.
Three men were arrested and have each been charged with cocaine production, possession of the proceeds of crime and multiple counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
- Cong Nguyen, 36, of Calgary
- Hoang Duong, 33, of Calgary
- Scott Smith, 29, of Calgary
“There’s no control over where pills are generated, how they’re generated, the quality that goes into the production of the pills, which is one of the main concerns with fentanyl is that there’s a danger of cross-contamination to both the community and first responders and then any other narcotic or illicit drugs that are produced,” said Kowalyk. “It’s very dangerous to the community.”
The seizure is the third largest in ALERT’s history. The largest seizure for the team came in February 2015 when 11,597 pills were confiscated in Calgary.
The Calgary Police Service’s largest seizure of fentanyl pills was last December when 35,321 pills were seized.
ALERT officials say the biggest seizure in the country and province was last month when Edmonton police seized 130,000 fentanyl pills.
ALERT advises anyone who suspects drug activity in their communities to contact their local police detachment or contact Crime Stoppers as 1-800-222-8477.
