Victoria woman arrested after RCMP raid suspected drug house near Duncan

Mounties with the Vancouver Island RCMP Emergency Response Team and the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment executed a search warrant at the Stotlou Road residence on March 2. (RCMP)

A 24-year-old Victoria woman has been arrested after police raided a suspected drug house on Cowichan Tribes land near Duncan, B.C.

Mounties with the Vancouver Island RCMP Emergency Response Team and the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment executed a search warrant at the Stotlou Road residence on March 2.

Officers found a sophisticated surveillance system and a door that was "specifically designed to aid with the drug trafficking activity," RCMP Cpl. Trevor March said in a news release Tuesday.

The woman was arrested at the scene for possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, marking the culmination of an investigation that lasted several months, according to police.

The Cowichan Tribes declared a local state of emergency in December in response to drug overdoses and trafficking in the community.

As a result, the local RCMP detachment established Project E-Provide to target and deal directly with the issues, the RCMP said.

"Drug trafficking properties always have a significant negative impact on their neighbourhoods," March said.

"Investigators who assisted with this project are committed to serving these neighbourhoods and targeting the people who choose to set up and run these operations."