ALERT arrests four in Grande Prairie drug trafficking, firearms investigation

March 4, 2013

Grande Prairie…Three men and one woman face 27 charges related to break and enter, drug trafficking, and firearms offences following a two-month investigation by ALERT’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) in Grande Prairie.

The investigation began in early January when police were notified of suspicious activity at a storage facility in the Royal Oaks subdivision of Grande Prairie. During the course of the investigation, CFSEU members observed two men trying to break into a storage locker.

Grande Prairie RCMP detachment members and RCMP Police Dog Services were called in to assist with the apprehension of the suspects.

Randy Wayne PEHOTA, age 22, and Nathan Arnold EDGAR, age 24, both of Grande Prairie, are each charged with attempted break and enter. PEHOTA also faces a charge of resisting arrest.

Following these arrests, CFSEU executed search warrants on the storage locker the men were attempting to break into, as well as a south side apartment. Investigators located over half a kilogram of cocaine, a .50 calibre handgun, a .22 calibre handgun, a silencer, a .380 ACP handgun, a sawed-off .410 shotgun, a 12 gauge shotgun, ammunition, and a bullet resistant vest.

A Canada-wide warrant was then issued for the arrest of Benjamin Lonny DOBBIN, a 29-year-old Grande Prairie resident wanted in connection with this case. Dobbin was arrested on March 1 by Deer Lake District RCMP in Newfoundland. He has been remanded in custody and is being returned to Grande Prairie to face charges.

Jody PEDERSON, age 31 of Grande Prairie, was also arrested in connection to the investigation and has been released from custody.

DOBBIN and PEDERSON are charged jointly with the following 24 offences:

• possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking;
• five counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose;
• five counts of unlawful possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm;
• four counts of unlawful possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm with ammunition;
• six counts of careless storage of a firearm; and
• possession of body armour without a permit (Section 3 of the provincial Body Armour Control Act).

The Body Armour Control Act is designed to help make communities safer and help police in their efforts to reduce gang violence across the province.The Act prohibits the possession and use of body armour, unless a person has a permit or is exempt from needing a permit. Individuals were given until December 15, 2012, to comply with the legislation. If found in violation of the Act, the penalty is a fine of up to $10,000 or six months in prison, or both.

To report suspicious activity in your community, contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

CFSEU, made up of municipal police and RCMP members, is an ALERT team established and funded by the Government of Alberta to bring together the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources to tackle serious and organized crime. Over 400 municipal police, RCMP and sheriffs work for ALERT.

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Media inquiries may be directed to:
Cpl. Dean Riou
CFSEU-Grande Prairie
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT)
780-357-5582

Candace Cook
Communications
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT)
780-509-3015