Surrey cops target drug trade

Photo: RCMP

Surrey RCMP say eight people have been arrested over the past week as they continue efforts to disrupt the drug trade.

Police say the eight are believed to be associated with the violent conflict that has plagued the city this year, resulting in a number of shots fired incidents.

Over the last three weeks, a total of 18 individuals have been arrested and all are believed involved in drugs and related crimes, say police.

“These individuals have been strategically targeted by police following extensive, intelligence-led investigations that continue as officers advance further prosecutions against them,” said Sgt. Alanna Dunlop, RCMP spokesperson.

The most recent arrests involve dial-a-dope drug lines that cross multiple jurisdictions including in Surrey, Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, and North Vancouver, Dunlop said. “Search warrants were also executed as part of the investigations where quantities of illicit drugs and firearms were seized.”

More arrests are anticipated.

“Drug trafficking is a crime with tentacles that reach across multiple jurisdictions. While a trafficker may reside in one city, they often sell or transport drugs in other nearby cities as well. This is what we are seeing in Surrey and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to clamp down on this issue across the Lower Mainland,” said Assistant Commissioner Bill Fordy, Surrey RCMP officer in charge.

“We are not interested in simply pushing these criminals to another city. We are committed to tackling this crime and the resulting violence through disruption of the drug organizations, and making significant arrests.”