Two people are facing charges after the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) searched two Calgary homes and cars and seized more than $700,000 worth of drugs and cash.
The houses in the Copperfield and Douglasdale neighbourhoods were searched on July 26 and ALERT alleges both homes were being used to package and press cocaine for street-level drug sales.
Staff Sgt. Doug Crippen with ALERT Calgary’s organized crime and gang team said the investigation lasted about two months.
“This was a sizeable amount of drugs to remove from circulation,” he said. “A seizure of this magnitude will have an immediate impact.”
In the searches, police said they found:
- 4.5 kilograms of cocaine
- 549 grams of heroin
- 360 grams of cannabis
- a 2013 BMW sedan
- $30,085 cash proceeds of crime
Most of the drugs came from the Copperfield home, police said.
Also seized was a handgun that Crippen said was equipped with over-capacity magazines and body armour. ALERT believes the gun – which can hold 15 rounds of ammunition instead of the usual 10 – was smuggled in from the United States.
Crippen couldn’t say whether ALERT has been seeing an increase of weapons seized in such drug investigations. He suggested possession of the weapon and the armour meant the two people charged felt they were in danger
“Having body armour with a gun with ammunition for several different firearms, that would be a strong indication that these particular individuals operating in this crime group believe that they themselves were targeted, that violence was going to come to them,” Crippen said.
“That’s why they have body armour; that’s why they’re weaponizing their organization. We are concerned about that because we know in many cases, that violence has spilled over onto the streets.”
Colton Darby and Ricardo Martinez, both 21, are facing a total of 23 drug and firearms-related offences.
Darby is also facing a breach of probation charge.
Crippen couldn’t say whether the two were previously known to police, but said any possible connections to gangs or organized crime will be part of the investigation.
ALERT partnered with the Calgary Police Service on the case.
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