From ALERT

Drugs, Guns Seized in Innisfail

A short-term investigation by ALERT’s Red Deer organized crime team has resulted in the seizure of a wide variety of drugs from a home in Innisfail. Two women were arrested.

The two-week investigation wrapped up on June 25, 2020, as ALERT investigators executed a search warrant at a house in the 4000 block of 48 Avenue in Innisfail. Assistance was provided by Innisfail RCMP.

Once inside, investigators seized more than $23,000 worth of drugs and cash, including:

• 47 grams of fentanyl powder;
• 146 grams of methamphetamine;
• 18 grams of cocaine;
• 445 millilitres of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB);
• 8 blotters of LSD;
• 198 illicit prescription pills;
• 13.9 grams of cannabis resin; and
• $1,750 cash proceeds of crime.

Two .22-calibre rifles — one of which had the barrel sawed off — and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were also seized.

“The wide variety of drugs seized during this investigation is remarkable, especially for a town such as Innisfail,” said Insp. Sean Boser, ALERT Regional Teams. “Being able to act quickly to get drugs and firearms out of these suspects’ hands is a big win for community safety.”

“Having a partner like ALERT, who we can collaborate with on investigations like this one, is invaluable,” said Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk, Innisfail RCMP detachment commander. “The drug trade and associated violence are problems that are not confined to urban centres. We will use every resource at our disposal to keep our community safe.”

Pamela Jacobson, 43, and Keanna Chuhaniuk, 24, are each charged with:

• possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking (x5);
• possession of proceeds of crime;
• careless use of a firearm (x2);
• unauthorized possession of a firearm;
• possession of a prohibited firearm; and
• possession of a weapon obtained by crime.

Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is always anonymous.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.

EDMONTON — The RCMP says it will add 76 additional Mounties to Alberta this year, many of whom will serve as front-line police in rural detachments outside major municipalities.

There will also be 57 new civilian support positions.

RCMP say some of the additional Mounties are to serve in detachments at Beaverlodge, Edson, Evansburg, Mayerthorpe and Valleyview.

In the south, detachments in Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks and Strathmore will get more police.

New Mounties are to be assigned to the central district, including in Camrose, Blackfalds, Leduc, Morinville, Parkland, Rocky Mountain House, Stettler, Strathcona and Thorsby.

More RCMP are also being assigned to work in Athabasca, Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Elk Point and St. Paul.

Officials say the staffing increase is part of a five-year, $286-million policing agreement announced by the Alberta government in December.

“Rural Albertans asked for action against rising crime, and our government responded with Alberta’s largest single investment in policing since the RCMP’s March West,” Alberta Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer said Thursday in a release.

“Putting more boots on the ground in rural Alberta will help protect residents and ensure they feel safe in their communities.”

The force says so far it has filled 25 of the front-line positions in rural communities and 18 centralized police to provide support and specialized services to all rural detachments.

Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki, Alberta’s top Mountie, said the additional funding is in response to concerns expressed by rural Alberta communities.

He said the RCMP is committed to continuing to provide Albertans with the high quality, modern provincial police service that they expect and deserve.

“The RCMP is committed to working in partnership with our communities to ensure Albertans feel safe in their homes, in their backyards and in their farm yards,” Zablocki said in a release.

Last month, Alberta’s government-appointed Fair Deal Panel recommended the province examine the idea of creating a provincial police force. The panel suggested the RCMP is becoming too bureaucratically inflexible and smaller communities aren’t getting enough front-line officers.

Premier Jason Kenney has said his government will study the recommendation.

Under the program announced by the province in December, small and rural communities, with some exceptions, are to begin contributing part of their front-line policing costs starting this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2020

The Canadian Press