The integrated police unit charged with tackling gang crime in B.C. announced that the seven men who were charged in connection with an alleged major drug trafficking operation have now been arrested.
Accused are Jonathan Lutar, 39, Courtney Lafreniere, 41, Oakley Charest, 34, Matthew Shaw, 31, Allan Arcangel, 51, Roman Tassone, 28, and Lukas Tassone, 34, who are all now in custody, officials said.
The investigation began in 2020, as officers looked into an operation that spanned from the Okanagan to the Lower Mainland.
Police served a dozen search warrants, resulting in 25 gun and drug charges, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit officials said.
They said one of the accused is a full-patch member of the Hells Angels Haney chapter.
During the searches, police say they seized two kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of MDMA and one kilogram of fentanyl, along with ketamine, cannabis and a cutting agent.
Officers also seized two handguns, three rifles, a shotgun, multiple prohibited magazines, ammunition, body armour and two vehicles, police said.
This is the provincial anti-gang unit’s third major charge announcement in gun and drug investigations since the start of December. Earlier this month, the unit announced charges against multiple men involved in the Wolfpack organization and the Vancouver Island Hells Angels.