Kamloops Mounties sweep street dealers
The smell of marijuana filled the air at the Kamloops RCMP’s Battle Street detachment on Monday, Oct. 31, as police displayed drugs, weapons and cash seized as part of a lengthy undercover operation.
Three people have been arrested and police are looking for another 27 — including five prolific offenders — following a three-month undercover investigation into the city’s drug trade.
Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said the investigation involved 11 officers and 50 separate undercover scenarios.
Mounties also raided two homes — one on the T’Kemlups Indian Band reserve and another in Dallas.
Learned said the operation targeted lower-level dealers.
“This is at the street level,” he said.
“This is indicative of what’s happening on a daily basis in Kamloops.”
Officers seized quantities of cocaine, crystal meth and heroin, in addition to four pounds of marijuana, two firearms, a large amount of cash, cellphones and a 2010 Hyundai Elantra.
Learned said police will be applying to have the vehicle forfeited.
None of the accused have yet been formally charged.
Mounties plan to submit a community-impact statement to the Crown when the files get to court. Learned said such a step could result in “an increased awareness” of the impact of the drug trade on city streets.
According to Learned, it would be the first time community-impact statements — prepared by police, service groups, victims and previous offenders — were introduced in a Kamloops courtroom.
Similar statements have been prepared in Quesnel, Mackenzie, Prince George and Victoria.
Learned also said RCMP will likely seek so-called red-zone restrictions against some of the accused.
Such conditions bar people from entering certain parts of downtown Kamloops and the North Shore.
The three people arrested — a 19-year-old woman and two men, ages 26 and 30 — have been released pending court appearances later this month.
No names have been released.
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