$9M - dope, hash & heroin

Photo: CTV

ALERT officials display 292 kg of marijuana, seized at the end of a months-long drug trafficking investigation in early June.

One of the largest drug seizures in Western Canada took place in Edmonton, with officials seizing almost $9-million worth of marijuana, hashish, and heroin.

The bust was part of a five-month drug trafficking investigation between the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). It wrapped up June 4, when three Edmonton men were arrested at a storage facility in the west end. Officers found 95 kilograms of marijuana and six kilos of hash.

Two other men driving a semi-tractor trailer were arrested that same day at the Edmonton International Airport. An inspection of their trailer found 197 kilos of marijuana and 14 bricks of heroin.

Photo: CTV

Officials display 14.1 kg of heroin, worth an estimated $5.64 million.

“A seizure of this magnitude highlights the success ALERT is having across the province in tackling and disrupting organized crime,” says ALERT Insp. Darcy Strang.

“Drugs are a commodity for organized crime groups, whose dependency on violence and addiction negatively impacts every community in Alberta.”

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

Five people have been arrested, and are facing a number of drug charges:

• Dustin Stone, 24, from Edmonton
• Douglas Dach, 51, from Edmonton
• Samuel Hutsulak, 24, from Edmonton
• Barry Grindrod, 55, from Chilliwack
• Kodie Grindrod, 21, from Chilliwack

The record drug seizure included: 

• 292 kilograms of marijuana, 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.