Nine arrests, 83 charges in Fort McMurray drug sting

November 26, 2013

Fort McMurray…Nine people face a total of 83 criminal charges following an Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) drug investigation that wrapped up last week.

Acting upon information received from the Wood Buffalo RCMP, ALERT’s Wood Buffalo Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) executed a search warrant at an apartment on Clearwater Crescent on November 20th. A loaded handgun with the serial number filed off was recovered in addition to $17,000 worth of cocaine.

Six of the people charged were Fort McMurray residents, while two hailed from Edmonton and one from Toronto. Charges were laid against Cabdirixam Aadan (23), Mohamed Abdirashid (26), Ahmed Ahmed (22), Guleid Farah (20), Tapiwa Musara (21), Mohamed Omar (28), Abdirizak Sahal (26), Larib Saleem (21), and Abdinasir Shire (22). They appeared in court late last week and were released on bail.

The charges include a range of drug and weapons offences, including:

• Possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking;
• Possession of a controlled substance;
• Possession of property obtained by crime;
• Unsafe storage of a firearm;
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose;
• Unlawful possession of a firearm;
• Unlawful possession of a loaded, prohibited firearm;
• Possession of a firearm obtained by the commission of an offence;
• Defacing a serial number on a firearm.

Made up of RCMP members, CFSEU-Wood Buffalo 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:

Sgt. Kirk Peyton
CFSEU-Wood Buffalo
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT)
780-370-2206                              

Mike Tucker
Communications
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT)
780-509-3015