B.C.'s anti-gang unit says two men are facing charges of trafficking after raids in different towns turned up a drug hoard worth more than $500,000.
Officers from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia say they seized two kilograms of cocaine, 28 pounds of marijuana, 200 ecstasy pills, 10 litres of GHB, also known as the “date-rape drug,” and one kilogram of crystal meth in the June 6 raid.
In Pictures: Major drug seizures, arrests on Vancouver Island
Police said one of the suspects, a 37-year-old Langford man, is known to them for his alleged involvement in the drug trade and links to people in organized crime groups.
Both he and a 27-year-old Saanich man now face pending drug charges.
“These guys are not bit-players in the Vancouver Island gang environment,” said Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, CFSEU-BC spokesman.
The two men were arrested after police executed search warrants in the 2700-block of Peatt Road and the 2700-block of Claude Road in Langford, and the 500-block of Heatherdale Road in Saanich.
Houghton said the home officers searched on Claude Road was in an area “full of families.”
“Anytime we have this kind of serious public safety issue in your neighbourhood we are going to do everything in our power to disrupt that gang activity and the violence associated with it,” he said.
Houghton said officers found a licensed medical marijuana grow-op at one of the homes and are now trying to find out if it complies with Health Canada’s regulations.
RCMP Supt. Jim Faulkner said the raid was a result of the combined effort of multiple law enforcement agencies, including Westshore RCMP, Victoria police, Saanich police and emergency response teams.
The raid also uncovered a pound of white powder believed to be a “cutting agent” for other drugs, ammunition, a shoulder gun holster, and large weigh scales commonly used for weighing drugs, RCMP said.
The two suspects have been released from custody but face several charges while an investigation continues, according to police.
