WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Police Service announced on Friday that four people have been arrested in connection with a drug trafficking that spanned several provinces.
“Obviously the Winnipeg Police is very, very pleased with the end result of this investigation that was led by our Winnipeg Police Service Guns and Gangs Unit,” said Insp. Max Waddell.
According to police, the primary activity of this organized crime group involved the transportation of cocaine from Vancouver, through Calgary and Regina, with the final destination being Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg Police’s Guns and Gang Unit discovered the centre of this crime network in May 2020, and enlisted the help of police in the three other provinces.
The investigation took place across a month and a half, culminating on June 18, when Regina police conducted search warrants at homes on East Woodhams Drive and Wadey Drive, as well as three vehicles and a storage locker. Police seized money, a substance believed to be cocaine, MDMA, psilocybin, drug paraphernalia and brass knuckles. Waddell said it was just over one kilogram of cocaine, with a street value between $90,000 and $100,000.
Three people from Regina have been arrested and charged with drug trafficking-related offences: Kale Jayden Martin 25, Selin Golbar, 25, and Raven Stewart, 24.
These three individuals appeared in court on June 19.
Meanwhile, also on June 18, a search warrant was executed by Surrey RCMP. Officers seized a cocaine press; 24 kilograms of the cutting agent Phenacetin; $100,000 in cash; hundreds of packaged cannabis products; 10 pounds of cannabis, and body armour. This investigation continues.
On June 19, Winnipeg officers arrested a man in connection with the crime network.
Logan Randall Pahl, 36, from Vancouver, has been charged with possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, and possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Pahl is in custody.
None of the charges against the accused have been tested in court.
Police said they searched the 2018 Nissan Murano that Pahl was driving, and found a “sophisticated” concealment trap at the back of the car after activating the key fob. Officers explained the concealment trap elevated vertically out of the back bumper, and police found three kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $270,000, and $176,000 in Canadian money.
Waddell said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, couriers within the illicit drug trade have had to resort to elaborate means of transportation, due to tightened borders and travel restrictions.
“Today’s announcement speaks to the extreme lengths individuals will undertake to avoid detection from law enforcement,” he said, noting the Nissan Murano had been extensively modified to create the concealment trap.
Correction:
Editor’s Note: This is a story from June 2020. The charges against Selin Golbar have since been stayed.
