Grande Prairie Drug Bust nets Cocaine, Cash, and Cars

November 21, 2014

Grande Prairie Drug Bust nets Cocaine, Cash, and Cars

Grande Prairie… Four people were arrested and Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) has shut down a drug trafficking cell that was operating in the Grande Prairie area.

ALERT’s Grande Prairie team seized four vehicles and more than $30,000 in cash proceeds of crime from the suspected drug trafficking group. The assets will be forfeited to Alberta’s Civil Forfeiture Office, money which is then used to help support victims of crime and community policing initiatives. The vehicles seized included a Nissan Titan, a Hummer, and two Dodge Ram pick-ups.

“We are hitting drug dealers in their pocketbooks as means of crippling their criminal operations, and the province’s civil forfeiture legislation has proven an effective tool in doing so,” said Sgt. Jason Gibson.

The group is accused of actively dealing drugs throughout Grande Prairie and surrounding areas. ALERT seized nearly $9,000 worth of cocaine and heroin in the investigation. The cocaine was broken up into “spitballs” for street-level sale.

The drugs and cash were seized as the result of search warrants executed on November 13, with assistance from Grande Prairie and Beaverlodge RCMP. Four vehicles were searched along with a home in Wembley, Alta. The investigation was initiated in early September.

Seven drug-related charges have been laid. Four people were arrested including:

• Kyler Schwartz, 20, of Wembley;
• Evan Silzer, 21, of Wembley;
• Francois Muhire, 23, of Wembley;
• Jeffery Stuart, 28, of Regina;

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime. Nearly 400 municipal police, RCMP, and sheriffs work in ALERT.

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