Record haul of fentanyl seized in Red Deer bust leads to 3 arrests

RCMP in Red Deer have charged three men from out of the province in connection with the largest fentanyl seizure inthe city'shistory earlier this summer.

An investigation led police to search properties from Aug.13 to 28, which turned up 3,520 fentanyl tablets the largest amount confiscated to date by police in Red Deer along with more than a 1,000 grams of cocaine, 681 grams of a cocaine cutting agent, and $82,000 in cash, said Sgt. Paul Glanville.

Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer said the busts and subsequent arrests are good news for her city.

"Drug trafficking will not be tolerated in our community, and we are safer today as a community as a result of this seizure," she said.

"Red Deer is a regional hub city, central on the QEII corridor between two major Canadian urban centres. And this geographic fact intensifies the tensions that we are all experiencing with respect to crime and public safety.

"A seizure of this scale and the subsequent arrests is tremendous news for our community, and it means that a significant amount of illegal substances is no longer on our streets."

Three men, all from British Columbia, face a total of 22 criminal charges, including possession of controlled substances for trafficking and failure to comply with court orders.

Raymond Tyrell Brown, 26, appeared in court Sept. 23 and remains in custody.

George Deighton, 25, and Henry Ruttle, 25, were released on bail and will appear in court on Sept. 26.