Eleven people from Calgary have been charged with more than 125 drugs, weapons and organized crime-related offences after one of the largest drug seizures in Alberta’s history.
Two of the suspects had previous manslaughter convictions, Insp. Patty McCallum with the Calgary Police Service said.
The year-long investigation called Project Offshore started in September 2016 and resulted in more than $4 million worth of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine seized by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).
“With this particular network, we did find that it went from Vancouver to Calgary to Saskatoon to Toronto to Montreal. So we’ve hit several different provinces with this investigation,” McCallum said.
WATCH: Insp. Patty McCallum calls the investigation complex and robust. She breaks down what was seized in the drug seizure.
READ MORE: Man charged in Calgary’s largest fentanyl pill seizure goes missing before trial
A total of 15,757 fentanyl pills were seized, the largest fentanyl seizure in ALERT’s history.
“It is the investigator’s belief these pills were sourced from British Columbia,” McCallum said of the fentanyl.
Twenty-eight kilograms of meth were also taken off the street, which was double the previous record of meth seized in one investigation in Alberta, ALERT said Wednesday.
“The completed lab analysis has tested samples of the meth at 96 per cent purity, which we believe was sourced locally or from Mexico. At this time, investigators don’t know for certain,” McCallum explained.
READ MORE: Fentanyl contact by 2 Edmonton police officers exposes dangers of deadly drug
Police searched 11 properties in Calgary over the course of the investigation and also seized $523,232 in cash. A million-dollar mansion in north Calgary has also been seized by the courts. Police allege the home was financed through a “profitable drug trafficking operation.”
In total, ALERT seized the following:
- 15,757 fentanyl pills
- 28 kilograms of methamphetamine
- 6.7 kilograms of cocaine
- 1.5 kilograms of crack cocaine
- 75 kilograms of cocaine buffing agent
- 3 cocaine conversion labs
- 11 handguns
- body armour and various weapons
- $523,232 in cash
- 2 vehicles
Watch below: Year-long Calgary drug investigation leads to one of Alberta’s largest drug seizures
More than 120 charges related to drugs, firearms, proceeds of crime and organized crime have been laid against 11 suspects:
- Jonathan Aaron Bejo, 25 (8 charges)
- Guan Chen, 27 (21 charges)
- Jia Nan Chen, 29 (9 charges)
- Danny Ho Ming Chui, 36 (9 charges)
- Hue Thi “Kim” Do, 39 (1 charge)
- Behnam Fayaz, 31 (31 charges)
- Jamal Mohamud, 29 (15 charges)
- Chang Yong Yun, 37 (11 charges)
- Lanssa Yousuf, 28 (12 charges);
- Simon Sui-Sang Yuen, 34 (9 charges)
- Jian Nan Zhao, 28 (1 charge)
Watch below: Alberta justice minister ‘aware there’s a crisis’ in terms of drugs in the province
Yuen, Mohamud and Jia Chen have not been arrested. Warrants have been issued for their arrest.
The investigation is ongoing and McCallum anticipated more charges will be laid.
The largest drug bust in Alberta’s history happened in September 2014 in Edmonton, when $9.3 million worth of drugs were seized.
Watch below from August 2017: Staff Sgt. Garth Kowalyk issues a statement after ALERT’s third-largest fentanyl seizure in Alberta.