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Thousands of diverted hydromorphone pills seized in Burnaby RCMP drug bust

Charges are pending against four people arrested in an alleged interprovincial drug ring investigated by Burnaby RCMP's drug and organized crime section.

Four people were arrested and large quantities of drugs seized after a four-month Burnaby RCMP investigation into an alleged interprovincial drug ring this summer.

The investigation culminated in drug busts at two residential properties in Coquitlam and Surrey on Aug. 7, according to a news release Wednesday.

Three men and one woman, all in their mid-20s to early-30s, were taken into custody, according to police.

Along with $80,000 cash, officers also seized 9,555 suspected hydromorphone pills; 1.15 kilograms of suspected cocaine; 25.51 grams of suspected ketamine;  and 12,547 suspected alprazolam pills.

Most of the hydromorphone pills are believed to be diverted prescription pills, while several hundred are believed to be counterfeit and contain fentanyl, according to police.

The group was alleged to be shipping large quantities of drugs as far as Manitoba and the Yukon, as well as locally.

“Stopping the flow of highly addictive diverted prescription opioids, as well as other drugs that are contributing to overdose deaths, is a priority for our team,” Sgt. Randy Mortensen with the Burnaby RCMP’s drug and organized crime section said in the release. “This seizure has redirected a large amount of deadly drugs which are no longer destined for our streets.”

Two of the individuals arrested in the case are already facing drug trafficking charges connected to other investigations, according to the release.

Burnaby RCMP will forward charges connected to the August search warrants once the ongoing investigation is complete.

Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
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