TOP HEADLINES INVESTIGATIONS NEWSMAKERS STORIES OF 2025
ALERT exists to build safer communities. This is a look back at some of our top stories of the past year.
January
Specialized enforcement teams from both sides of the Alberta / Saskatchewan border teamed up to arrest a well-known and wanted drug dealer in Lloydminster.
File UPDATE
Lance Harper pled guilty and is currently serving an 18-month sentence.
We have an established intelligence sharing model between agencies, between the provinces, which has proven effective in targeting those who endanger community safety through their criminal activities.
The targets of [Project] Endgame have been involved in human trafficking across Canada for upwards of a decade. We proactively targeted these individuals because we knew their involvement and we knew the violence that they bring to this type of crime.
february
Three men were arrested and stand accused of running a human trafficking operation that stretched across Canada; operating throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Quebec.
File UPDATE
Kevin Dorcelus-Cetoute, Jean Rodnil Dubois and Clyde Elien-Abbot face a total of 25 charges related to human trafficking.
march
ALERT Medicine Hat arrested three people and seized a loaded handgun and a kilogram of methamphetamine upon learning that drugs were being couriered into Medicine Hat.
File UPDATE
Abdullah Mela is expected to face trial in May 2026.
There exists an inherent violence within the drug trade and taking a firearm out of the hands of a drug dealer is a win for public safety.
Doug Wheeler was allegedly the head of a criminal organization that was deeply rooted in Grande Prairie and beyond. Drug trafficking, linked to his group, would have caused considerable community harm.
april
Six people have been charged in an extensive organized crime investigation in Grande Prairie. ALERT alleges the group was involved in drug trafficking throughout the surrounding area.
File UPDATE
In September 2025, additional charged were laid against Douglas Wheeler and Jesse Lukas, including possession of proceeds of crime, and laundering proceeds of crime.
may
Five suspects have been charged in relation to a major cocaine seizure that took place in Edmonton in 2024. $3 million worth of cocaine and other drugs was seized from an Edmonton home.
File UPDATE
Preliminary hearings for three of the individuals involved have been scheduled for April 27, 2026.
Following [the 2024] drug seizure, our investigative team was able to conduct a thorough investigation and identify the suspects responsible. We now have significant charges put before the courts in the hopes of holding this organized crime group accountable.
This crime group was linked to Taber, Lethbridge, and Coalhurst, but the scope of their operations would have impacted all communities in the region. Nine people have been arrested and together, they face 63 charges related to participation in a criminal organization, drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering.
june
Following a lengthy organized crime investigation in southwest Alberta, ALERT has arrested nine suspects, seized large amounts of cocaine, and has restrained more than $2.5 million in assets linked to drug trafficking.
File UPDATE
Chantal Bareman, Duc Vo, and Nga (Linda) Vo are scheduled to appear in court in January 2026. Warrants were issued for Johan Braun-Suderman, Gerhard Wolf, and Malachy Young who remain at large.
july
ICE began its investigation into Campbell Fergusson in April 2025 following a report made through Cybertip. It is alleged he targeted girls in the Edmonton area between the ages of 15 and 16 years old via social media, including Snapchat. Investigators believe he would lure victims to meet in person to perform sexual acts.
File UPDATE
In October, ICE laid an additional 86 charges against Campbell Fergusson after identifying an additional 23 victims.
Our investigators and forensic technicians have successfully identified six victims linked to Mr. Fergusson, but this investigation doesn’t stop here. We have reason to believe there are more victims we have yet to identify as we discover images and videos on these devices.
Our investigation has led us to believe that Mr. Campbell has been engaging in this type of activity across various platforms since 2023.
august
An Edmonton man faces 15 charges related to online child sexual exploitation following an Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) investigation, including the allegations he lured youths online.
File UPDATE
Cordell Campbell is expected to face trial in July 2026.
September
Following an extensive two-year investigation, ALERT has dismantled a cross-border drug trafficking network and has made one of the largest drug seizures in Alberta history.
File UPDATE
Investigators continue to work to bring 10 kilograms of cocaine up from Texas in order to test it and compare it to the drugs that were seized earlier in the project.
We are talking about a multi-national criminal organization – a business built on importing drugs and violence into our communities. But this wasn’t just a Calgary problem. Or an Alberta problem for that matter. Organized crime impacts every community, and in this case, this was a multi-million-dollar criminal enterprise that transcended borders.
Our priority was to disrupt the drug supply line and take these harmful substances off the street. Our investigation will continue and target the people responsible.
October
ALERT Red Deer seized an estimated $188,000 as part of Operation Rio.
In total, ALERT seized:
- 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine;
- 1.1 kilograms of cocaine;
- 186 tablets of LSD;
- 43 various illicit prescription pills;
- 119 cartons of contraband tobacco; and
- $6,700 worth of precious metals suspected of being proceeds of crime.
File UPDATE
Two men were charged in December 2025. The pair are expected to appear in court on January 15, 2026.
November
Drug endangerment act charges were laid against a suspected Fort McMurray mother who allegedly exposed her child to drug trafficking activity. She had been under investigation for drug trafficking activity when ALERT Fort McMurray observed a drug transaction in the company of her toddler-aged child.
File UPDATE
The woman is expected to appear in court on January 13, 2026.
It is incomprehensible to bring a child to a drug deal and expose them to this level of risk. Upon learning this information, we prioritized this investigation to ultimately get this child out of harm’s way.
In the criminal code, child sexual abuse and exploitation material includes photos, videos, and any visual representation of someone under the age of 18, or who is depicted as being under the age of 18, and is engaged in explicit sexual activity.
December
ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit has charged a high school student after he allegedly used artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
File UPDATE
The teen is scheduled to appear in court on January 8, 2026.
