Police find guns and drugs at an encampment in downtown Calgary
Five people have been charged after Calgary police found illegal guns and more than $73,000 worth of illicit drugs at an encampment in the city’s downtown.
Officers of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) Mountain Bike Unit were completing a trespassing check and a check on welfare at an encampment on private property at the 600 block of First Street SE and found the following items:
- 290 grams of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $23,208
- 333.5 grams of fentanyl, with an estimated street value of $50,025
- 20.7 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, with an estimated street value of $225
- One loaded, sawed-off .22-calibre rifle
- Three loaded 9-mm handguns with 3D-printed receivers and restricted extended-capacity magazines
- One prohibited switchblade-style knife
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“This incident underscores the importance of addressing encampments early,” Acting Staff Sgt. Michael Anderson said in a statement.
“In this case, our officers put themselves in a dangerous situation to address the safety concerns and criminality at this particular encampment, and through enforcement, we were able to take illegal guns and drugs off of Calgary streets.”
Concerns regarding safety in the city’s downtown core have consistently been a point of conversation throughout the year.
The provincial government has dedicated $4.16 million to support the hiring of 50 new police officers to combat that. They’ll be deployed to “high-crime” areas like transit centres and the downtown core.
It’s a much-needed investment for CPS, who have said that more needs to be done to help them tackle crime and safety issues.
“Calgary Police Service members have been carrying unsustainable workloads as financial pressures and reduced hiring during the pandemic meant that staffing did not keep up with increasing demands,” Shawn Cornett, the chair of the Calgary Police Commission, said in a statement when the funding was first announced.
“We are thankful that these 50 new officers will soon join the 130 new officers funded by Council to greatly improve the service’s ability to manage Calgary’s complex crime issues.”
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