Two Fort Saskatchewan men are facing a long list of charges after an RCMP investigation into a suspected motorcycle gang operation turned up stolen property, firearms and drugs.
The RCMP began their investigation in early December 2016, after getting a tip about suspects believed to have ties to the Warlocks Outlaw Motorcycle gang.
READ MORE: 5 arrested, weapons seized in Fort McMurray outlaw biker investigation
On Dec. 15, investigators conducted searches on two storage lockers and a home in Fort Saskatchewan. They seized a loaded 9-mm handgun, an SKS rifle, along with two other rifles, prohibited magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Police also found cocaine, psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), prescription pills and over $2,800 in cash, which police said were consistent quantities to indicate drug trafficking.
An ATV and other stolen property was also seized, police said.
On Dec. 28, Clayton James Fortin, 46, and Robert John Knight, 39, both from Fort Saskatchewan, were arrested. Both were charged with a number of offences including unauthorised possession of a firearm/prohibited weapon, possession of a firearm with tampered serial number, possession of property obtained by crime and possession of a controlled substance. Fortin was also charged with three counts of adult possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
READ MORE: Members of Warlocks outlaw motorcycle gang arrested in Drayton Valley
Insp. Chris Culhane of the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP detachment said illegal weapons can easily become part of a larger drug ring.
“Illegal guns in the wrong hands can become tools of the drug trade and the violence it breeds. The work our units do to remove these guns from the streets is vital to public safety,” he said.
Members of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) Organized Crime and Gang Enforcement unit helped with the investigation.
READ MORE: Outlaw bikers, gang members among hundreds arrested by ALERT in 2015
Fortin and Knight both remain in police custody, awaiting their first court appearance in Fort Saskatchewan.