Drug investigation started in Winnipeg leads to $10 million bust in Calgary

A drug investigation started by Winnipeg police last fall has ended in a multi-million-dollar drug bust in Calgary.

Winnipeg police’s guns and gangs unit launched the investigation, dubbed Project Sasquatch, in October after uncovering details of an inter-provincial drug courier they say was taking multiple kilograms of illicit drugs, including meth, cocaine, fentanyl and heroin, from eastern Ontario across the prairies to Alberta.

Calgary police eventually took over the investigation due to what police in Winnipeg describe as “inter-jurisdictional challenges” and the overall scope of the probe.

On Jan. 30, Calgary police searched the suspect’s pickup truck near Dorothy, Alta., seizing 46.9 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $4.69 million and 47.5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $4.75 million on the street.

Staff Sgt. Kyle Grant from the Calgary Police Service said police agencies across the country are working together to identify and arrest those involved in the drug trade.

“Drugs fuel violent crime and investigations such as this address both the drugs and the associated violence,” Grant said.

He added the seizure was “very large” for the service, likely one of the biggest in the past 20 years.

“We were very fortunate to be able to come across this and intercept the shipment before it’s able to hit the street.”

Jacob Cody Neumann, 33, of Calgary is charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

-With files from Melissa Gilligan

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