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Posted: September 4, 2019

ALERT Welcomes New Officer in Charge

Edmonton… Acting Superintendent Dwayne Lakusta of the Edmonton Police Service has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of ALERT. Lakusta will be the officer in charge of the provincially funded integrated unit, overseeing approximately 300 police officers and civilian staff. ALERT is mandated to address organized and serious crime across Alberta, with regional offices located in… Read more »

Posted: June 12, 2019

Project Elder Disrupts B.C.-Alberta Drug Pipeline

Edmonton… A two-year investigation by ALERT has cut off a drug pipeline between British Columbia and Alberta. More than $2 million in drugs and cash was seized and a dozen suspects have been arrested. Project Elder was an investigation that probed interprovincial, wholesale drug distribution. ALERT alleges that a high volume of drugs were being… Read more »

Posted: January 30, 2019

Fentanyl Lab Dismantled in Calgary

Calgary… A suspected fentanyl lab operating in Calgary has been dismantled. ALERT seized a pill press, dies, various chemical powders, and fentanyl in both pill and powder forms. ALERT’s Calgary organized crime team dismantled the lab on January 18, 2019, with the help of Calgary Police Service and the RCMP’s Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response… Read more »

Posted: January 1, 2019

ALERT's Top Headlines of 2018

It has been another eventful year here at ALERT, so we thought we’d take a look back at some of the biggest headlines we had in 2018 … SUSPECTED CARFENTANIL IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA BUST February 2018 — ALERT urged caution after a significant amount of what was believed to be a powerful opioid was seized… Read more »

Categories:
2018,
Year in Review

Posted: November 28, 2018

Calgary Man Arrested for Firearms Straw Purchasing

Calgary… An ALERT investigation has resulted in the arrest of a 26-year-old Calgary man for firearms straw purchasing. ALERT’s Guns and Gangs team alleges that Philip Edward Sarrasin lawfully acquired multiple handguns, which were then sold on the criminal market. Sarrasin was arrested on October 24, 2018, with the assistance of Calgary Police Service. Sarrasin… Read more »

Posted: August 2, 2018

Search of Calgary Homes Yields Drugs, Handgun

Calgary… Two men have been arrested after ALERT searched two homes and two vehicles in Calgary and seized more than $700,000 worth of drugs and cash. ALERT’s Calgary organized crime and gang team made the seizure on July 26, 2018 after searching homes in the neighbourhoods of Copperfield and Douglasdale. Both homes were allegedly being… Read more »

Posted: May 14, 2018

Kilogram of Cocaine Taken Off Calgary Streets

Calgary… ALERT Calgary’s organized crime and gang team has taken more than a kilogram of cocaine off the streets of Calgary and removed a young child from a potentially dangerous situation. Two people were arrested in the investigation. The arrest and seizure took place on May 10, 2018, via a traffic stop at a gas… Read more »

Posted: April 23, 2018

Large Amount of Cash Seized from Suspected Calgary Drug Dealer

Calgary… More than $150,000 cash and three vehicles will be submitted to the province’s civil forfeiture office after being seized from a suspected Calgary drug dealer. ALERT’s Calgary organized crime and gang team made the seizure on April 17, 2018 to conclude a short-term drug trafficking investigation. Two Calgary homes were searched and investigators located… Read more »

Posted: March 9, 2018

Calgary Police officer charged with child pornography offences

Calgary… ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit has arrested a member of the Calgary Police Service for child pornography offences. Thomas Buttle was arrested on March 8, 2018. The 33-year-old man was charged with possessing, accessing, and making available child pornography. His Calgary home was searched and a number of computers and electronic devices were… Read more »