Federal prosecutors have approved charges against 19 people, eight of them still at large, after an investigation into what police are calling a violent drug trafficking network in northeastern British Columbia.
Members of B.C.’s Combined Special Enforcement Unit (CSEU) say those arrested have been causing “significant harm” to the Peace Region, and the charges are the cumulation of work that started in 2022.
Investigators say in addition to the arrests, they have also seized a “large quantity” of drugs, firearms and cash.
Earlier this year, CBC’s The 5th Estate investigated a string of deaths and disappearances in the community of Dawson Creek, B.C., believed to have been linked to increased violence from the illicit drug trade. It is not clear whether any of the arrests announced on Wednesday are linked to the deaths or disappearances reported previously.
Local news is disappearing, so we asked viewers for their stories. One person pointed us to Dawson Creek, B.C., where residents feel besieged by killings and a wave of disappearances. Many residents say the RCMP has evaded accountability. Until now.
The CSEU says the arrests are the result of several warrants executed from October 2022 to January 2023 in several communities in B.C.’s Peace region, which is near the B.C.-Alberta border.
Charges, which the CSEU says have been approved by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, include trafficking of a controlled substance, careless use or storage of a firearm and possession of restricted firearms.
Of the 11 people arrested, two remain in custody, while the rest have been released with conditions.
The remaining eight are wanted on outstanding warrants.