B.C. RCMP bust operation shipping 'large amounts' of drugs to Yukon, Manitoba

Seized pills are seen in a handout image from the Burnaby RCMP following a trafficking bust in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

Four people have been arrested in connection with a drug trafficking operation that was allegedly shipping “large amounts” of controlled substances from B.C. to other parts of Canada, the RCMP announced Wednesday.

Members of the Burnaby RCMP’s Drug and Organized Crime Section executed search warrants at two homes in the Lower Mainland back in August, seizing a haul of pills and other substances, plus more than $80,000 in cash, the detachment said in a news release.

The officers found 1.15 kg of suspected cocaine, 25 g of suspected ketamine, 12,547 suspected alprazolam pills and 9,555 suspected hydromorphone pills in the two homes, located in Coquitlam and Surrey, the RCMP said.

The drugs were being shipped as far away as Yukon and Manitoba, authorities said. 

Most of the hydromorphone is “believed to be diverted prescription pills,” Burnaby RCMP said in a news release, while others appear to be counterfeits containing fentanyl.

“Stopping the flow of highly addictive diverted prescription opioids, as well as other drugs that are contributing to overdose deaths, is a priority for our team,” said Sgt. Randy Mortensen, in the release. “This seizure has redirected a large amount of deadly drugs which are no longer destined for our streets.”

Hydromorphone is offered to people battling substance use disorders though B.C.’s safer supply harm-reduction program, but is also one of the most commonly prescribed opioids for pain relief in the province.

CTV News asked the Burnaby RCMP for more information on the suspected source of the hydromorphone, and why authorities believe it was diverted.

In an email, Kalanj said investigators “are relying on their expertise, however, samples of all the seized drugs have been sent for testing, so we can’t confirm the origin for certain at this time.”

Two of the suspects arrested in the crackdown are also facing drug trafficking charges in the Northwest Territories, and one of those individuals was charged in a 2021 trafficking case in the Lower Mainland that is still going through the courts, authorities said.

None of the individuals’ names have been released.

Burnaby RCMP said their investigation is ongoing, but they expect to recommend charges against all four suspects once it is complete.