A two-year multi-organization investigation has resulted in the seizure of a significant amount of drugs, $2.5 million in assets and the arrest of nine people in the Taber and Lethbridge areas.
The investigation, Project Leadline, was led by ALERT Lethbridge with support from members of the Lethbridge Police Service and Taber Police Service.
RCMP Inspector Brad Lundeen, who oversees ALERT’s regional organized crime teams says the investigation ultimately dismantled an extensive drug trafficking network in southwestern Alberta. With the alleged criminal organization having connections to Taber, Lethbridge, and Coalhurst.
“The scope of their operations would have impacted all communities in the region. This group’s economic impact would be represented in the millions of dollars,” Lundeen says. “The [seized] assets include property, houses, and bank accounts. ALERT alleges that this group was using real estate to launder proceeds of crime.”
According to police, the over half a million dollars seized in drugs includes cocaine, fentanyl, meth, GHB, and illicit prescription pills. Between the nine accused they are facing 63 charges related to participation in a criminal organization, drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering.
While LPS, TPS and ALERT were the main partners in the investigation, Lindens says there were others involved in the investigation including partner agencies in the United States such as Homeland Security.
“Several targets of the investigation were known to travel back and forth to the United States and Canada. Just as we have close partnerships with all our agencies in Canada, we also have very good relationships with our U.S. partners as well, and as we share intelligence in Canada, we share intelligence with those partner agents as well.”
“Within the investigation itself, we did not seize drugs that were crossing the border either from the United States into Canada or vice versa.”
According to police of the nine accused four have been arrested and warrants have been issued for the remaining five. One of the accused is also reported to be a 19-year-old who is being charged as a young offender.
Lundeen says the outcome of this investigation is a significant one as he is not aware of criminal organization charges having been laid before in the Lethbridge region; adding the evidentiary threshold needed for those charges is extremely high.
