SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Police are calling Monday's drug bust the largest in a decade as they released the names of 11 people charged Wednesday.
Michael LeSage, superintendent of RCMP G Division, criminal operations officer, left, Yellowknife detachment commander Insp. Matt Peggs and spokesperson Const. Elenore Sturko speak at a news conference Wednesday about a large drug raid in the city, Dettah and Ndilo this week. Below, a bag of fentanyl pills seized by RCMP. - Shane Magee/NNSL photos
 |
Six separate search warrants were carried out Monday, resulting in 14 arrests, including 20-year-old Todd Dube of Yellowknife, who police accuse of being the leader of a drug-dealing criminal network centered in Yellowknife.
Two others, Vitaline Lafferty, 76, and Marie-Anne Lafferty, 55, of Ndilo were arrested outside of Fort Providence on March 18. Eleven people have been charged so far with a variety of mainly drug-related offences. Two of them remain on the lam and arrest warrants have been issued.
Police splayed out the results of the year-long investigation during a news conference Wednesday.
"The investigation focused on the activities of Todd Christopher Dube and a criminal network operating underneath him to distribute drugs in Yellowknife as well as several communities in the Northwest Territories and Whitehorse, Yukon," said Michael LeSage, superintendent of the G Division and criminal operations officer, at a news conference in RCMP headquarters.
"Police monitored an extremely busy 24-hour drug trafficking operation which utilized an extensive network of taxi cabs, street level drug traffickers and stash locations to distribute drugs."
Yellowknifer sought to speak with a lawyer representing Dube to address the RCMP's claims against him but was unable to establish who his legal counsel was at press time.
The network, LeSage said, worked in shifts, shared vehicles as well as communication devices. Police declined to say whether the cabs were associated with any particular company.
Overall, police said the searches found 1,200 fentanyl pills, four kilograms of cocaine, 16 pounds of marijuana, 11 litres of liquid codeine, thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, such as televisions, parkas, laptops, skates and shoes, believed to be obtained using proceeds from drugs sales, 10 firearms, $75,000 in cash, two vehicles seized from the highway near Fort Providence and a snowmobile.
Dube has been in and out of custody over the past year after being charged with other drug-related offences.
He was charged last year in another major RCMP drug raid which yielded fentanyl, cocaine and about $200,000 in cash. He is scheduled to be sentenced on charges related to that bust in territorial court May 25.
Dube is expected to be back in court today for a bail hearing on the most recent charges. His sister Brittany Dube, 23, is also scheduled to be in court today for charges related to Monday's drug bust.
Officers said the investigation started about a year ago and began drawing to a close over the last month. Police used "complex and sophisticated" techniques to identify a drug shipment headed to Yellowknife, LeSage said without elaborating on the methods. On March 18, police stopped a vehicle near Fort Providence carrying cocaine, marijuana and liquid codeine.
The two Lafferty women face charges in connection with trafficking after that stop.
The investigation culminated when police learned that Eddy Radeka, 53, of Burnaby, B.C. was travelling to Yellowknife to allegedly deliver drugs.
"This shipment was orchestrated by Todd Dube," LeSage said.
Radeka was arrested in a vehicle stop outside Fort Providence on Monday which resulted in the seizure of 2,300 grams of crack and powder cocaine, six litres of liquid codeine and approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills.
Shortly after Radeka's arrest, six search warrants were carried out in the city, Dettah and Ndilo.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Ryley Moore, 20, of Hay River and Luqman Hussein, 21, of Toronto, who remain on the lam.
LeSage said "a plot to endanger the life of an individual involved in the drug trade" on March 3 was stopped with assistance from Edmonton Police Service. That plot resulted in charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault against Todd Dube and Moore.
The investigation was called "Green Manalishi," LeSage said. He cited the Urban Dictionary definition of the term, which states it's a reference to any soul-stealing item or person.
"So when the federal investigations unit decided to undertake an investigation of this magnitude, targeting the trafficking of the deadly drug fentanyl, 'Project Green Manalishi' was a fitting name," he said.
Fentanyl has been linked to a growing number of deaths across Western Canada. The powerful painkiller is about 100 times more powerful than morphine and results in a high similar to heroin. Small amounts of fentanyl can prove deadly.
Sgt. Dean Riou with the G Division federal investigations unit said fentanyl has been growing in popularity in the territory.
"It's still relatively a small group of individuals compared to cocaine or crack cocaine that are using the drug fortunately but unfortunately that number is continuing to grow," he said.
More than two dozen people attended the news conference, including representatives from the GNWT Justice department, city hall, fire department, bylaw enforcement, a federal fisheries officer, a former MLA, Yellowknives Dene and city school boards.
Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus said he's pleased with the results of the investigation and said he knows some of those charged.
"Many of us are very concerned with what's happening in this community," he said during the news conference. "It seems like we're losing control of the streets and we're not able to be in a safe environment which is important to all of us."
Mayor Mark Heyck said the city is grateful for the work of the RCMP. He noted RCMP in collaboration with the city had made gangs and drugs one of the force's top three policing priorities for the year.
LeSage said the ability to closely monitor this drug network provided "incredible insight into the extent of the drug abuse in the community."
He said he is extremely proud of the investigation and thanked officers involved. He added there are still many long hours of police work to prepare the evidence for court.
Fact file
Charges laid as of Wednesday
Todd Dube, 20, of Yellowknife:
Conspiracy to commit trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana
Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault
Trafficking cocaine
Trafficking cocaine, marijuana and codeine
Trafficking cocaine, marijuana, codeine and fentanyl
Possession of property obtained by crime exceeding $5,000
Brittany Dube, 23,
of Yellowknife:
Conspiracy to commit trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana
Byron Bibby, 22,
of Yellowknife:
Conspiracy to commit trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana
Luqman Hussein, 21,
of Toronto:
Conspiracy to commit trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana
Yohannes Seyoume, 19, of Edmonton
Conspiracy to commit trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana
Katrina Stiopu, 25,
of Ndilo:
Conspiracy to commit trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana
Trafficking cocaine, marijuana codeine and fentanyl
Possession of property obtained by crime exceeding $5,000
Ryley Moore, 20,
of Hay River:
Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault
Eddy Radeka, 53,
of Burnaby, B.C.:
Trafficking cocaine, marijuana and codeine
Trafficking cocaine, marijuana, codeine and fentanyl
Sam Ovayuack, 26,
of Yellowknife:
Possession for the purpose of trafficking fentanyl
Possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine
Vitaline Lafferty, 76,
of Ndilo:
Trafficking cocaine, marijuana and codeine
Marie-Anne Lafferty, 55, of Ndilo:
Trafficking cocaine, marijuana and codeine
Source: RCMP
