Two Burnaby men have been charged in connection with a suspected drug trafficking ring supplying “large amounts of illicit drugs” across Western Canada, according to police.
RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) Saskatchewan and the Regina Police Service launched an investigation into the network last spring, police said in a news release Saturday.
After a yearlong investigation, officers raided properties in B.C. (Burnaby and Vancouver) and Saskatchewan (Weyburn and Moose Jaw) on May 11 and 12.
Search warrants were executed at two Burnaby properties, one in the 3800 block of Evergreen Place by North Road and another in the 6600 block of Dunblane Avenue in Metrotown.
In total, police seized 28.17 kilograms of methamphetamine, 8.95 kg of cocaine and 3.36 kg of MDMA, according to the release.
Tests revealed the seized cocaine was as pure as 97 percent, police said.
“This seizure will disrupt the supply of illicit, lethal drugs destined for distribution across Canada – particularly Saskatchewan,” stated the release.
Ten people were arrested, including two in Burnaby: Nikola Galic, 25, and Zlatko Mandaric, 41.
Eight of the people arrested have now been charged with a range of offences, including conspiracy, possession for the purpose of trafficking, drug trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime.
RCMP Insp. Andrew Farquhar, the officer in charge at FSOC, thanked other police agencies, including Burnaby RCMP’s drug section, for their help with the investigation.
“Dismantling this inter-provincial, international drug-trafficking investigation required extensive resource collaboration from across the country and reacting quickly as the investigation and arrests unfolded,” Farquhar stated in the release. “Working closely with established partnerships with municipal police agencies, other RCMP divisions and our government departments provided us with a unique ability to exchange intelligence and utilize different police techniques and resources.”
Galic’s next appearance in Regina provincial court is scheduled for June 6.
The other accused will appear on June 19.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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