RCMP arrest 6, seize drugs and gold bars in B.C.
Six people were arrested and a significant amount of drugs, cash, and gold and silver bars were seized from properties on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver last year, the RCMP said Thursday.
The arrests came after federal organized crime teams based on Vancouver Island executed six search warrants at homes in Vancouver and Victoria, as well as on five vehicles in the two communities.
The searches spanned between September and December, based on information from federal investigators as well from the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Los Angeles.
During the 11 searches, police found significant amounts of more than a dozen drugs, as well as $367,346 in cash, 15 ounces of gold – estimated to be worth about $35,988 – and 205 ounces of silver, estimated to be worth about $5,977, according to RCMP.
"In B.C., criminal organizations have made significant investments in the illicit drug trade which has had a lasting negative impact on our society," said Supt. Richard Bergevin, Officer in Charge of the B.C. RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime – Major Projects.
"The damage to our communities is immeasurable and families across our country continue to feel the losses to overdose and addiction," he said.
A list of the different drugs seized, according to RCMP, can be found below:
- 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, along with approximately 26 kilograms of buff such as benzocaine and procaine
- 1.5 kilograms of MDMA/MDA (ecstasy)
- 0.5 kilograms of ketamine
- 0.5 kilograms of methamphetamine
- 6,770 doses of LSD
- 5,000 tablets of counterfeit Xanax (Etizolam)
- 60 litres of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
- 2 lbs of dried cannabis / 534 packages edible cannabis products
- 2.5 lbs psilocybin
- 115 bottles of anabolic steroids in 35 different chemical forms
- 0.5 kilograms assorted drugs such as opium and heroin cut with fentanyl; N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT); 5-Methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DiPT, aka Foxy Methoxy); and benzylpiperazin (BZP).
Police say hundreds of illicit edible cannabis products were also seized, such as gummies, chocolate, granola, pills, THC water enhancers, THC patches, THC hot chocolate – as well as concentrated cannabis extracts, vaping products, and dried cannabis.
Mounties say no charges have been laid yet, and the investigation is ongoing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.