5 arrested, 2 at large in major B.C. drug-trafficking investigation, police say
5 arrested, 2 at large in major B.C. drug-trafficking investigation, police say
Investigators from B.C.'s anti-gang police unit say seven men have been charged in an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, and two of them remain at large.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. announced the charges and a major seizure at a news conference Wednesday.
The unit said arrest warrants have been issued for 28-year-old Roman Tassone and 34-year-old Lukas Tassone, both Vancouver residents.
Roman is charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. Lukas is facing one count of the same charge.
Police shared photos of the wanted men and asked anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact local police or Crime Stoppers.
25 CHARGES IN TOTAL
According to the CFSEU-BC, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada has approved a total of 25 criminal charges against the seven men.
Other than Roman and Lukas Tessone, the other five people charged in the investigation have been arrested and released on conditions, police said.
Each of the five is charged with trafficking a controlled substance for a criminal organization, conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance and trafficking a controlled substance.
Two of them – 41-year-old Maple Ridge resident Courtney Lafreniere and 51-year-old Vancouver resident Allan Arcangel – are charged with only those three offences.
The other three men face additional charges, as follows:
Vancouver resident Jonathan Lutar, 39, is charged with:
Directing a criminal organization
Possession for the purpose of trafficking
Vernon resident Oakley Charest, 34, is charged with:
Possession of a prohibited weapon
Two counts of possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition
Possession of firearms while prohibited, contrary to an order
Tsawwassen resident Matthew Shaw, 31, is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.
CASH, DRUGS AND GUNS SEIZED
The CFSEU-BC said in a statement that its investigation began in early 2020 and soon led to "an alleged large-scale drug-trafficking operation on behalf of a criminal organization that spanned the Lower Mainland and Okanagan."
Police said one of the men charged is a full-patch member of the Haney chapter of the Hells Angels, but they did not specify which suspect meets that description.
Investigators executed a dozen search warrants at locations in the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan between September 2020 and July 2021, the CFSEU-BC said.
Police seized $650,000 in cash during their investigation. (CFSEU-BC)
During those searches, police seized $650,000 in cash, a nine-millimetre handgun, a .45-calibre handgun, three rifles, a shotgun, ammunition and prohibited gun magazines.
They also seized body armour, two vehicles, and a cocaine press, along with the following approximate amounts of drugs and additives, police said.
Two kilograms of cocaine
One kilogram of MDMA
One kilogram of fentanyl
200 grams of ketamine
10 kilograms of cannabis
16 kilograms of cutting agent
Some of the drugs seized by the CFSEU-BC are shown. (CFSEU-BC)
"This investigation resulted in the seizure of potentially deadly drugs, firearms, and disruption of a sophisticated drug trafficking operation securing a number of significant criminal charges,” said Asst. Comm. Manny Mann, chief officer for CFSEU-BC, in the statement.
"CFSEU-BC is committed to continuing our relentless pursuit of those who pose the greatest risk to public safety in our communities as we investigate some of the most complex and resource intensive offences in the province."
Wednesday's announcement was the second major drug bust the unit has made public in as many weeks.
Last week, the CFSEU-BC announced the results of a major investigation into alleged Hells Angels drug trafficking activity on Vancouver Island.
Mann said the charges announced Wednesday stem from a separate, unrelated investigation.
"Criminal-organization-related charges are uncommon, yet this is the second investigation in two weeks that CFSEU-BC has been successful in having those charges laid," Mann said.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Dominic Barton, the former global managing director of McKinsey & Company, says he had no involvement in federal contracts awarded to the firm in recent years.
Australia is removing the monarchy from its bank notes. The nation's new $5 bill will feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
When the opera 'La Flambeau' premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian officials as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding about 20 others.
A homicide investigation is underway on Quadra Island, B.C., after a 39-year old woman was found dead in what investigators believe was a targeted killing.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
A large crowd of around 700 students, faculty members and Lethbridge residents came out on Wednesday to protest a planned speech by Frances Widdowson at the University of Lethbridge that didn't take place.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
After an extremely mild month of January, the province is bracing for a blast of arctic air that will move in tonight and last until Saturday. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued extreme cold warnings that covers most of the province with wind chills expected to be between -38 and -42 across the South and -50 across Northern Quebec.
Longueuil police (SPAL) arrested Gilles Croteau, 57, in the Saint-Hubert borough on Jan. 24 after an investigation that led to 31 arrests across Quebec for various sex offences, including child pornography possession and production.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring! The groundhog in South Bruce Peninsula didn't see his shadow at 8:07 a.m. on Thursday morning, meaning sprin gis on the way.
Bostwick Road has reopened following a serious crash on Wednesday evening. Around 7:20 p.m., emergency crews responded to the scene in south London for the incident involving two vehicles.
Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring! The groundhog in South Bruce Peninsula didn't see his shadow at 8:07 a.m. on Thursday morning, meaning sprin gis on the way.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Wiarton Willie made his prediction his spring prediction Thursday morning at 8:07 a.m. The groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning we could get an early spring.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Police seized $650,000 in cash during their investigation. (CFSEU-BC)
Some of the drugs seized by the CFSEU-BC are shown. (CFSEU-BC)
