Five men have been arrested and charged in connection with the 2018 murder of a Kamloops man linked to organized crime, police announced Saturday.
Troy Gold, 35, was first reported missing by Kamloops RCMP on Oct. 3, 2018. He was considered high risk due to his lengthy criminal history, including a 2004 conviction for killing a man in Penticton three years earlier.
By Oct. 10, serious crime investigators had determined Gold had been murdered in a targeted hit linked to a conflict within the local drug trafficking community.
After weeks spent searching for Gold’s body, human remains were discovered in the Lac Du Bois area north of Kamloops on Oct. 30. Days later, the remains were confirmed to be Gold’s.
Nearly a year after his body was discovered, on Oct. 18, Crown prosecutors approved second-degree murder charges against five men, all from Kamloops.
Nathan Anthony Townsend, 23; Jayden Michael Eustache, 24; Darian Fredrick Rohel, 44; John Wade Daviss 38; and Sean Gavril Scurt, 46, were all arrested between Friday and Saturday and remain in custody.
Police say all five men are known to RCMP for their roles in the local drug trade.
Staff Sgt. Simon Pillay with the Kamloops RCMP Serious Crime Unit said in a release that while witnesses and associates often don’t cooperate in similar investigations, Gold’s death was considered “grossly unnecessary” and prompted more people to come forward.
“It was with the co-operation of several important witnesses, traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques, support from other teams, units and agencies and endless determination that we have brought this case to this stage,” Pillay said.
“I hope this serves as a lesson to drug traffickers in our community that violence, regardless of whom it occurs to, will not be tolerated and the Kamloops RCMP remain committed to holding those responsible accountable.”
Police have released the names and pictures of the suspects, and hope that more people will come forward with information helpful to investigators.
Anyone who knows more about either Gold’s murder or other activities in the drug trade involving the suspects is asked to contact Kamloops RCMP or Crime Stoppers.