DEH CHO
Two separate drug busts connected to Fort Simpson saw Peace Regional RCMP seize $15,000 worth of cocaine on April 6, while Fort Simpson RCMP seized 100 grams of cocaine during an April 12 traffic stop.

RCMP seized 100 grams of cocaine bound for Fort Simpson during an April 12 traffic stop. - photo courtesy of RCMP G Division

Both instances involved pre-packaged amounts of the drug.

The April 6 arrest saw RCMP charge three Fort Simpson men with trafficking. The men are due to appear in an Alberta court at an unspecified date.

Const. Ryan Plustwa, the investigator in that case, confirmed the three charged are residents of Fort Simpson.

The arrest happened after officers pulled a car over for speeding through a construction zone, Plustwa said.

All three have been charged with drug trafficking offences.

The evening of April 12, Fort Simpson RCMP arrested two men during a traffic stop.

Abdirahman Aden, 32, and David Russell, 34, have been charged for possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Both have been charged for possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Const. Samuel Holm said the vehicle they were driving was stopped as part of an RCMP checkpoint outside of town on the road from Fort Liard. Both individuals came from Alberta, although Russell is originally from Fort Simpson.

"The RCMP has seen cocaine reaching its way into many of our communities. This is a very concerning drug because of both its effects on the individual and the effects on the community," Holm stated in an e-mail.

In particular, he said the drug can create a feeling of euphoria but is also known to stimulate aggression and paranoia in users.

"Cocaine users are more likely to cause violence to those around them and by proxy are more likely to come into contact with police," he stated.

"There are larger effects on the communities that we wish people would consider before experimenting with this drug."

Holm confirmed the bust near Fort Simpson was not connected in any way to Project Green Manalishi, which as of April 15 saw 21 people across the territory facing charges.

That operation included an April 4 traffic stop outside of Fort Providence that RCMP have credited with dismantling a "criminal network."

During that stop, RCMP seized 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, 5.4 kilograms of marijuana and five litres of liquid codeine, as well as 85 grams of a substance believed to be either crystal methamphetamine or MDMA.

A 55-year-old woman and a 77-year-old woman were charged following that stop and RCMP seized a 2014 Ford Escape as offence-related property.