Yellowknife (Jun 12/06) - Two Edmonton area men and a former resident of Wrigley have been charged in connection with crack cocaine trafficking.

The charges were laid after a three-month drug operation by Fort Simpson RCMP.

This is the first time cocaine trafficking charges have been laid in the Fort Simpson detachment area, Cpl. Al Shepherd said. It is also the first time the RCMP have seen people travelling to the communities in order to traffic drugs. Previously, people were bringing crack cocaine into the community from Yellowknife or Hay River for their own personal use, Shepherd said.

Police said they believe the bust is related to an organized effort to bring crack from Edmonton into Wrigley and other NWT communities.

The men have links to organized crime and street gangs in Edmonton, Shepherd said.

A 25-year-old Edmonton man was charged with four counts of trafficking cocaine. The man is also charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine and one count of bootlegging.

He was arrested in Wrigley on June 2 and released on strict conditions. He will appear in court on July 10, Shepherd said.

A 29-year-old Edmonton man has been charged with one count of trafficking, one count of conspiracy to traffic and a breach of a court order.

The man has previously been charged by Edmonton police for trafficking drugs. There is a warrant out for his arrest there.

Also charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic is a 40-year-old woman and former resident of Wrigley who resides in Edmonton.

Police have issued a warrant for her arrest. Police said they believe the crack was being sold out of a house in Wrigley.

So far, the RCMP have identified about 15 customers in the community who will be used as witnesses in court, Shepherd said.

There have also been drug busts in Inuvik in recent weeks.

Inuvik RCMP detachment confiscated nearly three pounds of pot on one occasion - two-thirds of which was turned in by community members.

A total of nine drug finds or seizures have been made in Inuvik since May 24.

On May 28, a construction crew working near the town limits found a large container which had 1.5 kilograms of marijuana inside.

No charges have been laid to date regarding the stash. Police say the street value of the marijuana was $18,000 before it was damaged by mold. It appeared to have been in storage for a while.

On June 5, RCMP used a search warrant to seize 135 grams of marijuana at a Ruyant Crescent residence. The RCMP's drug sniffing dog Lasse helped police make seven fo the busts over a four-day period It was Lasse's first time in Inuvik.