51 guns and 5 vehicles seized, 5 arrests made during drug bust: Okanagan RCMP

Fifty-one guns were seized earlier this month, say RCMP, following a two-month drug investigation in the Okanagan that also saw five people get arrested.

According to police, officers armed with search warrants simultaneously swarmed three residences and a storage locker on Friday, March 3, just before 7 a.m.

Police from the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP detachment were involved, along with the province’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).

“The search warrants were the culmination of a two-month-long drug trafficking investigation into a group believed to be supplying Vernon and other area communities with various drugs, including fentanyl,” said the RCMP.

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“The search warrants were executed at three residences and a storage locker in the communities of Armstrong, Lake Country and West Kelowna.”

The residences were on Belaire Drive in Armstrong, Stillwater Court in Lake Country and Majoros Road in West Kelowna. The storage locker was located in West Kelowna.

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Police say they seized more than 30 kilograms of suspected illicit drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, fentanyl and synthetic opioid pills. It’s believed more than 20 kg is fentanyl, with police saying that amounts to around 200,000 street-level doses.

Along with the drugs and drug paraphernalia, more than $100,000 in cash was seized, along with five motor vehicles.

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Regarding the guns, police say there were 27 assault rifles, 18 handguns and six shotguns. They also say there was evidence of firearm manufacturing and assembly, along with tactical vests.

They added that five people were arrested but later released from custody; all five were known to police.

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“This is by far the largest and most significant drug and gun seizure this team has completed,” said Sgt. David Evans of the RCMP’s Targeted Policing Unit.

“The assistance of CFSEU-BC demonstrates our shared commitment in battling organized crime and through collaboration, we have the ability to effectively target criminals beyond municipal boundaries.”