32 people charged with 172 offences as police take aim at street meth

The Calgary Police Service has laid charges relating to 172 offences following a three-week-long drug trafficking initiative, according to a release.

The charges were laid against 32 different individuals, with most facing drug-related charges as a result of CPS’ Daylight Initiative from this past December.

See also

• Here's what Alberta's heaviest load looks like moving around YEG (VIDEO)
• Joshua Tree National Park closes amidst US government shutdown
• A BC telescope has detected repeating radio signals coming from deep space

The street-level initiative aimed at targetting people trafficking meth, as the number of meth seizures has skyrocketed in YYC over the past five years.

2018 was the first year that police saw over 1,000 meth-related seizures in Calgary, a 108% increase over the five-year average, according to the release.

Drug seizures in Calgary by type (Calgary Police Service)

“Fentanyl has received a lot of attention recently, and rightly so, people are dying. Fentanyl is a community health issue, it affects families in a very tragic way,” said Calgary Police Inspector Kevin Forsen, in the release.

“However, we believe meth is truly a crime and community safety issue. Meth is the driving force behind much of our property crime and random violence. It is also a significant officer safety issue due to the erratic behaviour of some users.”

He said that, while CPS saw a record number of seizures in 2018, much of the solution has to do with proper mental health initiatives and addiction recovery.

“We can’t tackle this issue alone. It is going to take a huge collective effort to make an impact on the root causes of the meth issue – addictions and mental health being at the core,” he said in the release.

“While we work with our partners in the social and health sectors, we are asking citizens to help us by reporting homes in their community that may be exhibiting signs of drug trafficking.”

Following the initiative, a total of 81 CDSA charges were laid alongside 91 Criminal Code charges.

The release also states that the use of meth contributed to at 13 confirmed impaired driving incidents in 2017, and that while the stats haven’t yet come in for 2018, that number is expected to surpass the previous year’s.

CPS also included some signs that Calgarians may notice if drug trafficking is occurring at a nearby residence:

• Vehicles or people coming and going at all hours of the day and night for brief periods of time.
• Individuals leaving the residence to go to a waiting vehicle or nearby location for a very brief period of time prior to returning to the home.
• Abandoned vehicles near the area in question, typically with some form of damage.
• Garbage, litter, or discarded needles near the residence in question.

Anyone who may suspect that a house is being used for drug trafficking can contact the CPS Drug Tip Line at 403-428-8100, via email at [email protected], or anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477, or by visiting their website.