Two people from British Columbia have been charged following a drug seizure in Grande Prairie earlier this month.
More than one kilogram of cocaine and nearly 150 fentanyl pills were seized from two Grande Prairie homes on Oct. 13.
The seizure came following a month-long investigation by members of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams and Grande Prairie RCMP.
The following items, worth more than $150,000, were seized from the homes:
- 1 kilogram of cocaine
- 146 fentanyl pills
- 155 grams of marijuana
- 175 millilitres of GHB
- Two body armour vests
- $56,120 cash proceeds of crime
“The seizure and the disruption of this criminal group will help to reduce the negative community impact created by the local drug trade,” Supt. Don McKenna with the Grande Prairie RCMP said.
“This seizure highlights the importance of a coordinated provincial effort to stem the movement and sale of controlled substances.”
Karman Singh Grewal, 24, of Langley, B.C. has been charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of drugs and possession of proceeds of crime.
Elson Blue Joy, 22, of Kelowna, B.C. has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of drugs, possession of proceeds of crime, possession of stolen property and possession of body armour.
Watch Below: A member of the RCMP Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response Team demonstrates how fentanyl pills are made, during a conference in Edmonton Thursday.
The number of fentanyl-related deaths in Alberta has drastically increased over the past five years. In 2011, there were six deaths in the province connected to the drug; that number spiked to 274 deaths in 2015.
In the first six months of 2016, 153 people in Alberta died from apparent drug overdoses related to fentanyl.