Nearly $9 million Worth of Drugs Seized in Record Seizure

Edmonton… The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT), in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), has made one of the largest drug seizures in Western Canada. Nearly $9 million worth of marihuana, hashish, and heroin was seized after a series of arrests in the Edmonton region.

The record drug seizure included:  

• 292 kilograms of marihuana, with an estimated street value of $2.9 million; 
• 14.1 kilograms of heroin, with an estimated street value of $5.64 million; 
• 6 kilograms of hashish, with an estimated street value of $150,000.   

“A seizure of this magnitude highlights the success ALERT is having across the province in tackling and disrupting organized crime,” said ALERT Insp. Darcy Strang. “Drugs are a commodity for organized crime groups, whose dependency on violence and addiction negatively impacts every community in Alberta.”

ALERT Edmonton concluded the five-month drug trafficking investigation on June 4th.Three Edmonton men were arrested at a West Edmonton storage facility and 95 kilograms of marihuana and six kilograms of hashish were seized. Meanwhile, two men driving a semi-tractor trailer were arrested at the CBSA’s Commercial facility at the Edmonton International Airport. An inspection of the trailer yielded 197 kilograms of marihuana and 14 bricks of heroin.

“I am proud of the work that our officers do, each and every day, in protecting our borders and keeping dangerous drugs from reaching the streets of our communities,” said Kim R. Scoville, CBSA Regional Director General for the Prairie Region.

The heroin seizure is the largest ever in Alberta, eclipsing the previous high of 12 kilograms seized by CBSA officials at the Calgary airport on April 24, 2013. The marihuana seizure is believed to be the largest-ever in Western Canada, surpassing the 200 kilogram bust by Edmonton Police Service in April 2014 and a 256 kilogram seizure by CFSEU-British Columbia in November 2012.

A total of five people have been arrested, and are facing numerous drug charges:  

• Dustin Stone, a 24-year-old man from Edmonton; 
• Douglas Dach, a 51-year-old man from Edmonton; 
• Samuel Hutsulak, a 24-year-old man from Edmonton; 
• Barry Grindrod, a 55-year-old man from Chilliwack; 
• Kodie Grindrod, a 21-year-old man from Chilliwack.   

In addition to the CBSA, ALERT also received assistance from the Edmonton Police Service and the RCMP Roving Traffic Unit.

Since ALERT was formed in 2006, regional teams from across the province have seized more than $500 million worth of drugs.