The presence of weapons during the execution of warrants related to drug trafficking investigations in the metro region has become more commonplace in recent years, pointing to organized crime and the higher stakes involved.
That’s according to a local drug investigator.
A 39-year-old CBS man was arrested, and charges are pending following a recent seizure of weapons in Conception Bay South.
The search and seizure was initiated after a number of silencers, which were bound for a residential address in Conception Bay South from China, were intercepted by officials in Toronto.
Sergeant David Emberley of the RCMP Federal Serious Organized Crime Unit says the nature of drug trafficking has changed in Newfoundland and Labrador in recent years.
Sergeant Emberley has been a drug investigator in the St. John’s area for the last 14 years and he’s noticed some dramatic changes over that time.
When he started in the St. John’s Drug Section in 2009, when they executed drug warrants they would rarely seize guns “and when we did, they were usually hunting rifles or hunting shotguns.” Now, they almost always seize firearms ranging from loaded weapons and stolen handguns to assault rifles.”
He says the volume of cocaine in the region has increased dramatically, as has the amount of money that generates.
One time, if they seized a kilogram of cocaine, it was a “huge seizure.” Now multiple kilos of cocaine are being seized by police on a regular basis. With larger amounts of cocaine comes hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars, and at that level you’re usually dealing with organized crime and dangerous people he says.
Cocaine Detected in Half of Fatal Overdoses Last Year
(Cocaine from an RNC seizure on January 27, 2022)
Cocaine was the drug detected in about half of all fatal drug overdoses in Newfoundland and Labrador.
A joint police unit which operates on the west coast of the island and which targets illicit drug activity accessed statistics from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office for 2022.
The RCMP-RNC Joint Forces Operation West says 29 people in the province died from drug overdoses in 2022—two-thirds of them male, one-third female. Toxicology reports show that cocaine was the leading drug detected in 15 of the 29 deceased. Some cases are still pending so those numbers may change. .
The JFO says drug trafficking has a number of negative impacts including increased violent crime such as home invasions, robberies, assaults, threats and property-related crimes.
Victims of such crimes are often people who are involved in the drug trade.
JFO encourages anyone on the west coast who suspects drug trafficking is going on in their neighbourhood to contact them at 709-637-4221. JFO says officers rely heavily on assistance from the public in combatting that type of crime.
