Eight people have been charged and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of street drugs seized after a joint investigation between Langley RCMP at the BC Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
CFSEU announced the charges on Thursday, Aug. 1, but the investigation goes back to December 2022, according to a statement from CFSEU spokesperson Sgt. Lindsey Houghton.
That month, both local Mounties and the anti-gang unit began working together after they realized they were both investigating the same people as part of an alleged drug trafficking network.
The investigation expanded into multiple jurisdictions around the Lower Mainland, and Houghton said police determined that the suspects were connected to gangs and organized crime. In the end, CFSEU and Langley RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Section would work with the RCMP FSOC CLEAR Team, Coquitlam RCMP, Richmond RCMP, Surrey RCMP, and the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team.
Between April and May 2023, police with the joint forces operation launched 10 searches, backed by warrants, in Richmond, Coquitlam, Surrey, and Langley.
These searches led to the seizure of:
• Over $40,000 in Canadian cash
• Five vehicles
• Two guns, including ammunition, and prohibited magazines
• 969 kg of precursors including PMK (used to make MDMA) and 4-Piperidone (used to make fentanyl)
• 131.67 kg of pyridine (used in the synthesis of fentanyl)
• 165 kg of hydrochloric acid (used in the synthesis of fentanyl and MDMA)
• 73.6 g of benzodiazepine
• Over 1 kg of cocaine – worth an estimated $60,000
• Over 15 kg of MDMA – worth an estimated $300,000
• 8.5 kg of fentanyl – worth an estimated $215,000
• Over $200,000 worth of jewelry
• Over 4,600 pills including oxycodone, hydromorphone, fentanyl, and caffeine
• A hydraulic press and other items consistent with a drug manufacturing and trafficking operation
Based on the equipment and precursor chemicals seized, Houghton said the organization could have produced up to 148 kg of MDMA and 139 kg of fentanyl.
The estimated street value, in bulk, would have been about $3.475 million for the fentanyl and $2.96 million for the MDMA.
The fentanyl could have produced 88,683 potentially lethal doses, said Houghton.
On July 29, Crown prosecutors approved 31 charges against five men and three women.
They are:
• Raymond Brown, 31, from Surrey facing charges of trafficking, conspiracy to traffic, and possession of a restricted firearm and ammunition
• Nathanual Brown, 27, from Surrey, charged with trafficking and conspiracy to traffic, possession of a prohibited firearm, ammunition, and magazine
• Jacob Brown, 22 from Coquitlam, charged with conspiracy to traffic, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and related charges
• Riley Johal, 21, from Surrey, charged with conspiracy to traffic and possession for the purpose of trafficking, along with related charges
• Omega Lanek, a 28-year-old woman from Coquitlam, charged with conspiracy to traffic and possession for the purpose of trafficking, and related charges
• Robert Brienza, 30, from Langley, facing four counts of trafficking a controlled substance
• Kristina Suidy, a 28-year-old Langley woman facing one count of trafficking a controlled substance
• Danica Jalbert, a 29-year-old woman from Langley facing three counts of trafficking a controlled substance
Seven of the individuals have been arrested or turned themselves in following the raids, and only Raymond Brown remains in custody, with the others scheduled to appear on Aug. 14 in Surrey Provincial Court.
"The harm and loss caused by toxic and illicit drugs affects our community with serious and tragic consequences," said S/Sgt. David Bell-Irving, acting operations support officer for Langley RCMP. "The collaboration and partnership between the Langley RCMP and our integrated teams is a testament to our commitment to target those who prey on our most vulnerable and to protect our communities from further harm."
Insp. Todd Thomas, senior investigating officer for CFSEU, said the investigation resulted in disruption of a group that was trafficking potentially deadly fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.
“Our mandate and ability to work with our partner agencies to investigate across multiple jurisdictions allows us to target gang members and groups who impact public safety in multiple communities and hold them accountable for the harm they bring to our communities," Thomas said.
