Police in Medicine Hat seize $85K worth of cocaine
Police in Medicine Hat seized a stash of cocaine worth nearly $85,000 and arrested three suspects after a drug trafficking investigation that began last month.
Officers with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) found the drugs when they carried out search warrants on two houses on Oct. 12, according to a release.
One of the residences, which was being used to sell drugs, was adjacent to an elementary school, ALERT says.
"This is a pretty significant seizure for our community and certainly gets a lot of harmful substances off the street," said Staff Sgt. Cory Both.
Investigation started in September
Along with the 647 grams of cocaine, the police operation also turned up 522 grams of a cocaine buffing agent, almost $20,000 in cash, and 1.5 grams of methamphetamine.
The investigation began in September when ALERT got a tip about suspected drug trafficking.
Curtis Rodin, 32, Lesley Lebel, 37, and Kris Simons, 31, are each charged with numerous Criminal Code offences, including drug trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
ALERT was set up by the Alberta Government to be a compilation of the province's most sophisticated law enforcement resources focused on serious and organized crime.
It includes members of the Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Lethbridge Police Service, Medicine Hat Police Service and the RCMP.
