A 27-year-old Montreal man is facing several drug trafficking charges after police seized $1.2 million of illicit drugs including 1.45 kilograms of fentanyl that was sent from China and bound for Victoria.
In mid-October, Victoria police started an investigation after an alert by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) that a large shipment of fentanyl was being sent to an address in Victoria. CBSA officers were able to intercept the fentanyl package, which was worth an estimated $400,000.
“Considering a lethal dose of fentanyl could be as little as two milligrams, there was enough fentanyl in this shipment to cause 725,000 possible overdoses,” Victoria Acting Police Chief Del Manak said.
“That’s more than twice the population of the entire Capital Regional District.”
The VicPD’s investigation led them to a home in Victoria and subsequently to another home in Saanich. In Saanich, officers seized 6,052 individual doses of a heroin/fentanyl mixutre, 1.2 kilograms of methamphedamine, and 6.2 kilograms of cocaine both in powder and crack form. VicPD estimated the street value at $850,000.
Police are recommending multiple drug trafficking charges against Duc Khoung Pham.
“VicPD is working on many fronts in the fight against fentanyl,” Manak said.
“One way we are combating the opioid crisis is to target the drug traffickers who are preying on some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I am immensely proud of the entire VicPD team that executed this successful operation.”
Mike Morris, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said the bust was possible due to cooperation and the sharing of intelligence across law enforcement agencies in the province and the result helps to protect British Columbians.
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