Nine people have been charged in a drug-trafficking operation involving $1.5 million in cocaine with ties to organized crime in the province, investigators say.
The arrests come after a year-long investigation by the Calgary Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) which resulted in nine arrests, including the suspected head of a major crime organization, as well as the seizure of 11 kilograms of cocaine.
CFSEU investigators executed three search warrants on residential properties in Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge over the past month resulting in the arrests and seizure.
“We believe that these arrests will hinder the criminal activities of the gangs who were once supplied by these individuals,” Insp. Kevin Forsen said in a release. “This will ultimately help to reduce the level of violence on Calgary streets and throughout the province.”
Solicitor General Fred Lindsay applauds the arrests.
“This event strikes a blow to organized crime in our province,” Lindsay stated.
The bust is the third of its kind in the past two months, one being in Edmonton and the other in the Medicine Hat area.
