22 arrested in Moncton-area drug raids
Codiac RCMP say 22 people were arrested when a massive police operation disrupted an illicit drug network this week.
Drugs, cash and handguns were seized in the raids Thursday at seven locations in Moncton, one in Dieppe and one in Riverview, Superintendent Tom Critchlow said.
"We target those that, based on our intelligence, are causing the most harm to our communities," Critchlow told the Codiac Regional Policing Authority on Thursday night.
"That has to be the focus. A lot of the property crimes and the drivers of crime in this area is because of dependency on illicit drugs and feeding that habit."
Five women and six men are to appear in court in July, but the RCMP would not say what charges they're facing. They have been released from custody. The other 11 who were arrested are still being interviewed.
Critchlow said the arrests are all related to one organization, but he would not be specific.
Critchlow said more needs to be done to address addiction as a social issue, and that he's concerned about the of firearms found during recent drug enforcement operations.
The raids followed the seizure earlier in the week of a kilogram of methamphetamine. A woman is facing drug and firearms charges.
