Calgary, AB,
29
December
2016
|
09:34
America/Denver

Record fentanyl pill seizure - guns, drugs and ammunition located during police operation

A record amount of fentanyl pills, loaded guns and other deadly weapons have been seized during a police operation targeting drug trafficking in Calgary.

On Friday, Dec. 23, 2016, members of the Strategic Enforcement Unit, with the assistance of Tactical Team members, executed search warrants on a home in the 2300 block of Richmond Road S.W., as well as on a nearby vehicle believed connected to the case. The vehicle had been reported stolen out of Strathmore and had a stolen licence plate.

During the operation on the home, a man was found inside one of the bedrooms and was reaching for a shotgun when officers arrested him. A search of the home netted a stash of drugs and deadly weapons, including a record 35,321 fentanyl pills worth an estimated $706,000 on the street. This is the largest fentanyl pill seizure in Calgary’s history and one of the largest in the province.

In additional to the fentanyl, more than $40,000 in cocaine, $22,000 in methamphetamine, roughly $9,000 in heroin, and varying amounts of marijuana, MDMA, Oxycodone tablets, morphine, and nearly 70 pills of which the chemical makeup has yet to be determined, were found stashed in the home.

Seven firearms were also located, including three 12-gauge shotguns, two rifles, a handgun and a crossbow. Various amounts of ammunition and multiple sets of body armour were also seized from the home.

A search of the vehicle, a 2011 Jeep Compass, turned up an additional $37,115 in Canadian cash.

Charged in connection with this operation is David Hillson PRATICO, 31, of Calgary. PRATICO is charged with more than two dozen drug and weapons-related offences, including the production of crack cocaine.

The strategic enforcement of drug and weapons trafficking is a priority for the Calgary Police Service. Illegal drug activity is a danger to the community and a root cause of social disorder, violent crime and property crime.

Vehicle thefts, break and enters and robberies are often committed by those trying to fuel addiction. The CPS aims to address root causes of crime through crime reduction strategies and community partnerships to ensure Calgary remains a safe place to live.