Police cruiser / Photo: Courtesy of Whitehorse RCMP
Whitehorse, YT – Four people were arrested on the North Klondike Highway on October 20th after a firearms investigation led police to suspected drug trafficking into rural Yukon communities.
Police say two Yukon residents and two people from B.C.’s Lower Mainland were stopped while believed to be travelling to Pelly Crossing and Mayo to distribute illicit drugs. Investigators seized more than one ounce of suspected cocaine during the traffic stop.
The arrests involved the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia, known as CFSEU-BC and the Yukon RCMP Crime Reduction Unit.
The investigation began several months earlier, when CFSEU-BC’s Illegal Firearms Enforcement Team started investigating suspected firearms trafficking. Police say information gathered during that investigation identified suspected drug trafficking activity extending into the Yukon.
Following the arrests, investigators executed search warrants at a location where the four had been staying. Police say they seized ammunition and items consistent with drug trafficking.
“What began as an investigation into illegal firearms trafficking led our investigators to identify suspected drug trafficking activity targeting northern communities,” said Inspector Ryan Johnston, CFSEU-BC’s senior investigations officer.
Johnston said the partnership with Yukon RCMP allowed investigators to intercept the suspected drugs before they could reach those communities.
Yukon RCMP Plainclothes Commander Staff Sargeant Eric Lane said the investigation also involved RCMP detatchments in Whitehorse, Carmacks, Pelly Crossing and Mayo. He said partnerships with police agencies in southern Canada help investigators target people bringing illicit drugs into the territory.
Police did not identify the four people or announce any charges in the release.
The investigation remains ongoing.
