VANCOUVER – Two men, well-known in the Lower Mainland for their gang ties and and drug-related offences, now face numerous charges after being arrested by the Victoria Police.
The pair came to the attention of the Victoria Police’s Strike Force section in mid-March after moving to the area. Following an investigation that included covert investigative techniques, both were arrested on April 10 in Saanich.
Following the arrests, search warrants were executed on a home in the 3100-block of Tillicum Road and on two vehicles. During the search of one of the vehicles, officers found hidden compartments containing large amounts of drugs and a semi-automatic handgun with ammunition. They also found 1.5 kilograms of cocaine along with 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine and more then 300 grams of heroin. Officers also found $6,500 in cash. The street value of the drugs is estimated to be almost $250,000.
Arash Younus and Dustin Wadsworth now face five counts of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, one count of possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition, one count of possession of a firearm contrary to a court order and one count of owning or operating a vehicle with a hidden compartment under the Armoured Vehicle and Aftermarket Compartment Control Act.
“These two are known to be upper-level distributors,” says Insp. Brian Fox, Officer in Charge of VicPD’s Operational Support Division. “Mr. Younus has long-standing links to gangs and gang violence in British Columbia and beyond. He is actively involved in the current gang conflict in British Columbia and has close ties to a number of organized crime groups, including the Independent Soldiers.”
The Victoria Police provided this infographic of the link between drugs and property crime:
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