OTTAWA: A recent drug trafficking investigation has led to what police are calling the largest meth seizure in Edmonton history.
The Edmonton Police Service began investigating a man’s drug operation in Edmonton this spring. It culminated on June 22, when they arrested the man during a traffic stop and found four kilograms of cocaine in a vehicle.
Police then obtained a search warrant for a home in the area of 91st Avenue and 205th Street, where they seized three more kilograms of cocaine and almost 10 kilograms of methamphetamine.
‘It won’t have an impact on the drug trade in Edmonton. There’s a lot more drugs out there where these came from.’
The street value of the cocaine is estimated to be $525,000. The meth has an estimated street value of $384,000.
The methamphetamine seized would amount to more than 97,000 single dosages, Insp. Dwayne Lakusta said. The cocaine would amount to 23,000 half gram dosages.
Lakusta said the previous record for a methamphetamine seizure in Edmonton was five kilograms.
A 47-year-old man has been charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking in relation to the drug seizure.
Lakusta said this man was distributing these drugs at the “bulk level,” and that he was previously known to police.
‘We are scratching the surface’
Despite the “significant” amount of drugs seized, Lakusta said it won’t have a major impact on Edmonton’s drug trade.
He said police have seen more meth on the streets over the past several months, but wouldn’t attribute this increase to the waning economy. Demand for meth, like any commodity, could change considerably over a period of time, he said.
“We are scratching the surface,” Lakusta said. “But just about anytime we have an opportunity to take this level of dealer out it does have an impact on that particular group. But I’d be naive to think that it would have an impact, on a larger level, in Edmonton.”
“We’re not surprised by this level, there’s more out there.”
