Couple charged after 5 children found in alleged drug den in Lethbridge

Five children in Lethbridge were put in the care of extended family members after police found them in a house allegedly being used in a drug trafficking operation worth almost $40,000.

On April 12, Lethbridge police officers and members of ALERT, Alberta's specialized force for tackling organized and serious crime, executed a search warrant at a house on the city's west side, discovering cocaine, marijuana and codeine pills, ALERT said in a release.

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There were five children in the home, including an infant.

A man and a woman, both 39, were arrested and face charges related to drug trafficking "and a charge of causing a child to be drug-endangered," the release said.

The five children were relocated to a family member's residence and officials with Alberta's Child and Family Services department were notified.

The suspects' names are being withheld to protect the identity of the children, police say.

The search warrant was obtained after Vulcan RCMP found cocaine in the male suspect's vehicle during a traffic stop on April 2.

"ALERT believes the accused was returning to theLethbridgearea after re-loading his drug supply," the release said.

The combined value of the crack and powder cocaine, marijuana and codeine pills fromthe twoseizures is estimated at $38,500. Areplica handgun was also confiscated.

The man is being kept in custody until his next court appearance. The woman was released with several conditions.

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