UPDATE: 2:44 p.m.
Two women were arrested Thursday at the conclusion of a two-year Kamloops drug investigation that Mounties say interfered with “relationship building” between local dealers and Lower Mainland gangs.
Jennifer Lindsay Manuel, 38, and Alina May Ortloff, 40, are each charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, alleging they had fentanyl, meth and cocaine in their possession.
According to police, the Kamloops RCMP’s targeted enforcement unit (TEU) worked alongside a number of provincial agencies, including the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
Mounties said they seized more than $100,000 in cash, kilograms of drugs and more than six firearms.
“While TEU and CFSEU-BC were conducting their own long-term projects, in doing so, they were also actively disrupting and interfering with relationship building between Kamloops drug traffickers and [Lower Mainland] gangs,” RCMP Insp. Jeff Pelley said in a news release.
“In doing so, our enforcement and disruption have been impactful in enhancing community safety.”
Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky said the city detachment will continue to go after gangsters and drug dealers.
“The Kamloops RCMP detachment, led by the TEU team, will continue to target organized crime in our communities,” he said.
“This is in alignment with our strategic priorities targeting organized crime, with the goal to suppress the violence it creates and the threat to public safety.”
ORIGINAL STORY: 12:35 p.m.
Following a three-year investigation, six people with alleged Lower Mainland gang connections were charged this week with a number of drug trafficking and weapons charges, over what police call an “aggressive expansion of drug distribution” to the Interior and Vancouver Island.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, B.C.'s anti-gang police agency, says in a press release they began a coordinated investigation in 2018 into the Brothers Keepers gang, which has been involved in the ongoing Lower Mainland gang violence in recent years.
“One of these investigations gathered substantial evidence related to the inter-provincial drug trafficking network of an alleged executive member of the Brothers Keepers, including their aggressive expansion of drug distribution territory from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island and the Kamloops area,” said Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of the CFSEU.
Police conducted seven search warrants during the investigation in “various locations throughout the province,” seizing a combined 11 kilograms of drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, along with lab equipment and precursor chemicals used in the making of synthetic drugs. Police also found a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-calibre gun and more than $50,000 in cash.
Wednesday, the Crown filed a total of 27 criminal charges against six people allegedly involved in the gang's activities.
Many of charges stem from allegations across the Lower Mainland, but a few of the accused are charged with offences linked to Kelowna and Kamloops.
Two woman from Surrey, 45-year-old Moshmem Khanun Khan, and 21-year-old Jannat Bibi Nadeem are both charged with trafficking, conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance and trafficking for the benefit of a criminal organization in Kelowna and Kamloops, among other Lower Mainland cities. Additionally, 25-year-old Tanisha Bhatti is also charged with conspiracy to traffic in the Interior.
Three of the six accused have been arrested and remain in custody, one was arrested and have since been released, and two have not been located, and arrest warrants have been issued.
“This multi-year collaborative effort led by CFSEU-BC ... has unveiled the anatomy of the Brothers Keepers,” says Supt. Duncan Pound, CFSEU-BC’s operations officer.
“It has also allowed us, and our partners, to focus on strategic disruption and enforcement efforts, so they have the greatest chance of impact.”
The charges, which are being heard in Vancouver court, are as follows:
Amandeep Singh Kang, 29-year-old Vancouver resident; in custody
- Being one of a group of individuals constituting a criminal organization that knowingly instructed, directly or indirectly, any person to commit trafficking in a controlled substance
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance
- Trafficking a controlled substance
- 3 counts of possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
Andrew Miguel Best, 21-year-old Vancouver Island resident; warrant issued for arrest
- Traffic a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance
- Trafficking a controlled substance
- Possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
Dylan Robert Ferris, 22-year-old Surrey resident; in custody
- Possessing a restricted firearm without an authorization or license
- 2 counts of possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance
- Trafficking a controlled substance
Jannat Bibi Nadeem, 21-year-old Surrey resident; warrant issued for arrest
- Being one of a group of individuals constituting a criminal organization that knowingly instructed, directly or indirectly any person to commit trafficking in a controlled substance
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance
- Trafficking a controlled substance
- Possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
Moshmem Khanun Khan, 45-year-old Surrey resident; arrested and released from custody
- Trafficking a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal organization
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance
- Trafficking a controlled substance
- Possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
Tanisha Bhatti, 25-year-old Vancouver resident; in custody
- Conspiring to traffic in a controlled substance