120K in drugs, weapons seized in Fort McMurray trafficking bust

Seven people are facing atotal of 58 charges after$120,000 inillegal drugs andcash wasseized from aFort McMurray drug trafficking ring, police say.

Organized crime and gang enforcement officers with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams searched five homes and eight vehicles in the northern Albertacity on Jan. 19, ALERT said in a news release Thursday.

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The stash of drugs and weapons include679 fentanyl pills, 307 grams of cocaine, a loaded 9-mm handgun, a loaded sawed-off shotgun, and a .45-calibre rifle.

Also seized were:

• 350 rounds of ammunition
• 21 MDMA pills
• 659 grams of marijuana
• 18 grams of psilocybin
• 70 vials of steroids
• $54,445 cash proceeds of crime

Seven people from Fort McMurray were arrested and a total of 58 trafficking and weapons-related charges were laid.

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ALERT said itsinvestigation dates back to October 2016 when itlearned of the gang's involvement in the local drug trade, and began using "a variety of techniques to establish the hierarchy of the group."

Investigators say they have "dismantled" the trafficking network but are asking anyone with information on gang activity in the community to contact them.