Nearly $400K in drugs, cash and property seized in Calgary investigation

Items seized during a Calgary drug trafficking investigation in September 2021. (Calgary Police Service handout)

CALGARY -

Three people are facing charges after a Calgary drug trafficking investigation that netted nearly $400,000 worth of illegal drugs, stolen property and other proceeds of crime.

Calgary police said the two-month-long investigation was launched in late August, and resulted in two search warrants being executed last month.

On Sunday, Sept. 19, officers stopped a man driving from Calgary to Brooks. During a search of his vehicle, police said a "large amount" of illegal drugs were seized, including approximately $160,000 worth of meth and $10,000 of fentanyl.

Then, on Wednesday, Sept. 29, officers searched a home in the community of Panorama Hills and seized the following:

• 881.3 grams of fentanyl
• 370.5 grams of meth
• 673.8 grams of phenacetin
• 31.2 grams of MDMA
• 150 grams of cocaine
• 97 pills of Xanax
• 700 pills of Percocet
• 16.9 grams of buprenorphine hydrochloride
• 245.1grams of cannabis
• $11,205.00 in cash
• 12-gauge shotgun
• A stolen Toyota Rav-4
• A stolen motorbike
• Two stolen bicyclesand
• 80 pieces of government identification

Police said an estimated $362,660 of illegal drugs were seized in the investigation.

Richard Luc Cormier, 42, is charged with the following offences:

• Five counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
• Three counts of breach of probation
• Ten counts of breach of release order
• Possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking
• Possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000 
• Disqualified driving

Robert Bienkowski, 33, is charged with the following offences:

• Two counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
• Breach of probation 
• Breach of release order

Tanis Kras-Milligan, 37, is charged with the following offences:

• Two counts of breach of probation
• Two counts of breach of release order

"This investigation diverted a large amount of drugs off of our streets and we continue to target drug traffickers in our city,” said Sgt. Sergeant Kurt Jacobs in a news release.

“We know that there is no such thing as a safe street drug, and our investigators are committed to removing as many harmful drugs from our community as possible.”

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to call the Calgary Police Service's drug tip line at 403-428-8100 or anonymously though Crime Stoppers.