The anti-gang unit of the B.C. RCMP says officers seized a “substantial” amount of drugs and guns from homes, vehicles and a storage locker in Metro Vancouver last week as part of a trafficking investigation.
Police say the investigation began last July into a “widespread” drug trafficking network operating in the Lower Mainland with ties to Kamloops.
Officers searched four homes in Vancouver and Burnaby, two vehicles and a storage locker last Thursday, according to a news release from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. issued Friday. One of the properties, a condo in Vancouver, contained a “small-scale clandestine lab.”
In total, police say they seized two kilograms of “suspected illicit substance,” 18 firearms, ammunition, extended magazines, silencers, six body armour vests, smoke grenades, radio jammers, tracking devices, and about $200,000 in cash, of which half was fake currency.
“This significant seizure of illegal drugs, firearms and cash represent a major victory in our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe,” Insp. Mark Goodall said in the release. “By dismantling criminal operations that fuel violence and addiction, we are not only preventing harm to individuals, but also protecting the integrity of our neighbourhoods.”
Three men were arrested and one was charged, 31-year-old Daniel Penton, who remains in custody, according to police.
He faces charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of firearms without a licence, possession of prohibited devices including silencers and oversized magazines without a licence, and possessing such firearms and accessories while prohibited.
As part of the same investigation, last December Mounties in Kamloops seized 11 kilograms of drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine, two firearms and $111,000 in cash, according to the release. Four people were arrested for drug trafficking and released pending charges.
