Two British Columbia men were arrested Thursday in Ferndale, Wash., by undercover police officers who have been conducting a lengthy investigation into an alleged drug distribution ring.
Robert Shannon, of Maple Ridge, and Devron Quast of Abbotsford have been indicted, along with seven others for alleged conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana.
They were scheduled to appear in a U.S. District Court in Seattle Friday to face the indictment.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, which have yet to be tested in a court of law.
According to a statement released by the U.S. department of Justice, the arrests follow a three-year investigation that involved undercover officers and resulted in the seizure of more than 1,300 pounds of cocaine, 7,000 pounds of BC Bud, and about $3.5 million.
Over the course of the investigation, 38 people have been charged with drug trafficking and related offenses.
According to the indictment Shannon was allegedly in charge of distributing the drugs on behalf of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and others. Shannon directed the smuggling activities, the indictment alleges.
The drugs were allegedly hidden inside hollowed-out logs on trucks, within the false walls of cargo containers and vehicles, within loads of commercial lumber, inside large PVC pipes, and within the interior of a propane tanker.
Shannon and Quast were taken into custody Thursday after arriving in Ferndale, allegedly to meet with an undercover officer in connection with a drug deal.
U.S. authorities say Quast is a general manager at a Hyundai dealership in Abbotsford, where he worked with Phil Stone, a sales manager and one of the nine people who are named as defendents in the indictment.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Dag Sharman.
