The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) and Medicine Hat police say they’ve made a number of arrests aimed at dismantling what they’re calling a cocaine trafficking network that operated out of Medicine Hat.
Police say they’ve charged 10 suspects, seized more than one kilogram of cocaine — worth roughly $200,000 — 14 firearms and proceeds of crime during arrests on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. The arrests were part of Project Maverick, which began in December 2017.
ALERT alleges that an organized network trafficked cocaine to Medicine Hat and surrounding communities. They’ve charged three men they allege were at the core of the operation: Derec Trekofski, 27, from Medicine Hat, Sean Engel, 28, from Redcliff and Ian Gabriel, 29, from Medicine Hat.
Gabriel and Tough were not located during the mid-November arrests and warrants have been issued for their arrest.
Among the items seized as a result of Project Maverick are:
- 10 rifles
- Two handguns
- Two shotguns
- Three prohibited magazines
- Thousands of rounds of ammunition
- 8,800 contraband cigarettes
- $9,200 in stolen property
- $53,700 cash
Seven other people from communities like Medicine Hat, Redcliff and Leoville, Sask., who range in age from 26 to 53, face a total of 60 charges along with Trefoski, Engel and Gabriel.
The Medicine Hat Police Service were assisted by RCMP and police from Redcliff, Brooks, Taber, Calgary and Edmonton during Project Maverick.