EDMONTON — Three people have been arrested after more than 1,200 fentanyl pills were seized from an Edmonton home earlier this month.
Members of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams made the bust on Wednesday, April 20 at an apartment in the McQueen neighbourhood in west Edmonton. A variety of other drugs were also seized from the apartment.
Cash and a new Mercedes SUV were seized from a home in the Castle Downs area.
“The cash and the Mercedes that were seized are indicators of the profit that the dealers are collecting from selling fentanyl on the streets. But this profit comes at a great cost in the lives of Albertans,” Staff Sgt. Dave Knibbs with ALERT Edmonton said.
“ALERT has prioritized fentanyl investigations and will continue to aggressively pursue the drug traffickers who are dealing this dangerous drug.”
The following items were seized by ALERT:
- 1,255 fentanyl pills
- 391 grams of methamphetamine
- 138 grams of cocaine
- 3.6 kilograms of marijuana
- 399 grams of cannabis resin
- 190 grams of a cocaine buffing agent
- $123,678 cash proceeds of crime
- 2015 Mercedes Benz SUV
The total cash value of the bust is estimated at $340,000.
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Josh Termul, 26, has been charged with five counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and trafficking. Shawki El Jurdi, 25, has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. Nidal Chmait, 25, has been charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.
ALERT began its investigation in March after receiving information about suspected fentanyl distribution in Edmonton and the surrounding areas. In the past two years, ALERT has seized upwards of 30,000 fentanyl pills across Alberta, with about 9,000 seized in the Edmonton area.