New Sask. RCMP unit charges 20 people with more than 50 crimes after drug busts
RCMP say hundreds of grams of illegal drugs, drug trafficking paraphernalia and several illegally-possessed guns have been removed from the La Ronge area this year thanks to the work of the La Ronge RCMP’s expanded General Investigation Section (GIS) unit.
“Getting drugs and guns off the streets is our top priority,” Cpl. Drew Smith, the officer in charge of the unit, said in a news release.
The unit uses specialized skills in search warrants and statement interviews to investigate serious crime in La Ronge and surrounding area. It expanded to three members from one in 2020.
RCMP say the expanded team’s recent investigations have resulted in the seizure of drugs and weapons including:
- Feb. 25, 4 grams of methamphetamine, 2.83 grams of cocaine and four 0.4-gram baggies of cocaine were seized from a home and vehicles on the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
- March 1, 43.27 grams of cocaine, a semi-automatic firearm and trafficking paraphernalia were seized from a home in La Ronge.
- March 12, 3.68 grams of methamphetamine, 25 hydromorphone pills and drug trafficking paraphernalia were seized from a home in La Ronge.
- March 24, 520 grams of crack cocaine, about $10,000 in cash, a firearm and drug paraphernalia were seized from a home in La Ronge.
- March 25, 4.87 grams of cocaine, drug trafficking paraphernalia and a homemade machete were seized from a home in La Ronge.
- April 2, 120 hydromorphone pills, over $6,000 in cash, a replica firearm and drug trafficking paraphernalia were seized from a home and vehicle on the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
- April 5, 51.52 grams of cocaine, 356 grams of illegal marijuana, a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and drug trafficking paraphernalia were seized from a home on the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
- April 21, a 12-gauge shotgun, a box of ammunition, and drug trafficking paraphernalia were seized on the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
- May 26, 9 grams of cocaine and trafficking paraphernalia were seized from a hotel room and vehicle in La Ronge.
- May 28, 4.26 grams of cocaine and trafficking paraphernalia were seized from a vehicle in La Ronge and a home on the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
As a result of these incidents, officers charged 20 people with more than 50 offences, including drug trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime and illegal firearm possession charges.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.