22 arrested, $70M in drugs seized after years-long international investigation: RCMP
A multi-year police investigation that originated in Manitoba has led to the arrests of twenty-two individuals, together with a full-patch Hells Angels member, who RCMP say have been working for a global drug and weapons trafficking operation.
The investigation, dubbed Mission Divergent, was launched in 2018 after a Manitoba RCMP prison analyst flagged some traits relating to the importation of medication into Canada, police mentioned at a information convention in Winnipeg Tuesday morning.
Insp. Grant Stephen, who leads the RCMP’s critical and arranged crime part, mentioned the police power quickly realized it was on to a posh operation that concerned large-volume gross sales of cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates (particularly fentanyl) and assault-style firearms and ammunition.
A reference to the Hells Angels biker gang was additionally found, Stephen mentioned on the information convention.
A number of police companies from throughout Canada and all over the world turned concerned within the investigation, together with Colombian nationwide police, Hellenic Police in Greece and the U.S. Homeland Safety Investigations out of Grand Forks, N.D.
Together with the 22 arrests, police say in addition they seized greater than $70 million price of illicit medication, together with 110 kilograms of cocaine (with an estimated avenue worth of $11 million), 41.4 kilograms of methamphetamine (estimated avenue worth of $8 million) and three kilograms of fentanyl (estimated avenue worth of $50 million).
“I give you this context to not wow you with the seizure, however to indicate you the way many individuals may have been affected with this quantity of illicit product,” Stephen mentioned.
Police additionally recovered 14 handguns and what they described as 5 assault-style weapons.
Two people are nonetheless at massive and are needed by police in reference to the investigation:
- Kieffer Michael Kramar, 30, is from Winnipeg, however police imagine he could possibly be anyplace in Canada.
- Denis Ivziku, 24, is from the decrease mainland of British Columbia. Police imagine he’s nonetheless in that space.
