3 charged after VicPD, B.C. combined forces seize $30M in drugs

Three men have been charged this week following a joint investigation by Victoria police and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC).

In June 2020, VicPD began investigating an organized crime group that was believed to be trafficking fentanyl in Victoria.

The group had links to the Lower Mainland, and later that summer VicPD began a joint investigation with CFSEU-BC.

In November 2020, VicPD and CFSEU-BC executed nine search warrants, which led to the arrests of three men, the discovery of an estimated $30 million in drugs – much of which was fentanyl – and the seizure of 20 firearms, three luxury vehicles, and $385,390 in cash.

According to CFSEU-BC, the three men arrested at the time were formally charged with drug trafficking and firearms related offences on Tuesday.

Brian James Balla, 34, who was originally from Calgary but now lives in Victoria, faces eight charges in total – including five counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and three counts of trafficking a controlled substance.

Vu Bao Nguyen, 34, of Surrey, is facing seven counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, and three counts of trafficking a controlled substance.

Lastly, 35-year-old Brent William Van Buskirk, of Vancouver, is facing 13 charges in total. The charges include eight counts of possessing a prohibited firearm, two counts of possession of a non-restricted firearm without a license, and three counts of trafficking a controlled substance.

All three men were in custody as of Thursday. Balla and Nguyen are awaiting bail hearings, while Van Buskirk is being held in custody since he was on parole for a 2004 murder conviction at the time of his arrest in 2020.

"I am proud of the work that VicPD’s Strike Force section and CFSEU-BC’s Anti Trafficking Task Force has done together to help target those trafficking deadly drugs like fentanyl – taking deadly drugs and firearms out of our communities," said VicPD Chief Del Manak in a statement Thursday.

"In a year where over 2,200 people in British Columbia have died from a suspected illicit drug overdose it is clear that more joint operation work like this must be done to end the deaths."