Five people connected to the Lower Mainland gang war are facing charges after police seized a cache of weapons, drugs, cash and luxury vehicles in Coquitlam.
This morning (Feb. 1), RCMP laid out the evidence seized after seven search warrants were executed between April and December of 2021 in Coquitlam.
In September 2020, local Mounties were tipped off about an alleged drug trafficking network, which prompted the detachment’s Drugs and Organized Crime Section to investigate.
Multiple police agencies and integrated teams were also part of the probe linked to the escalating gang conflict.
Supt. Keith Bramhill told the Tri-City News during a news conference the firearms are now being examined to see if they were used in homicides. However, he did not mention the two gang-related murders in Coquitlam last year:
- In April, 20-year-old Bailey McKinney was shot to death while playing basketball at Town Centre Park
- In May, 42-year-old Mir Aali Hussain was gunned down in Maillardville
Both cases are with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
Coquitlam Mounties have been called to other gang-connected shootings over the past year — the latest happening on Jan. 14, 2022, when a man was shot multiple times in the 1000-block of Austin Avenue; a pair of bystanders was also injured in the shooting.
Bramhill said the latest seizure — resulting in three men and two women in their mid-20s being arrested on Dec. 8, 2021 — “disrupts” the violence.
And taking the cache away has "saved countless of lives. Without the seizure, there would be numerous deaths," he said.
Bramhill confirmed the five suspects are known to police, are linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict and were released pending charge approval from Crown Counsel.
But he also spoke directly to others involved, warning: “We will relentlessly pursue you, arrest you and hold you accountable within the laws of Canada.”
Still, the officer-in-charge reassured Tri-City residents that while the haul is sizeable, the area is safe and crime rates are low.
“Targeting criminals and violent behaviour will continue to be a priority in our communities,” he said.
WHAT WAS SEIZED
Among the evidence seized by RCMP include:
- Three kilograms of suspected fentanyl
- 5.4 kg of suspected cocaine
- 866 grams of suspected methamphetamine
- 1.8 kg of suspected MDMA
- 828.5 grams of suspected ketamine
- 100 suspected oxy pills
- 200 assorted pills
- Eight kilograms of cutting agent
- 51,000 suspected counterfeit Xanax pills
- More than $164,000 in cash
- Firearms...
- 12 semi-automatic carbines
- 11 handguns
- Magazines
- Ammunition
- Four luxury vehicles...
- 2017 Jeep Cherokee SRT
- 2018 Audi A7
- 2019 Infinity Q50
- 2021 Audi SQ5
- with a file from Kyle Balzer, Tri-City News
