A 16-month investigation into a cocaine trafficking network in the Edmonton area and Fort McMurray has resulted in seven arrests and nearly 50 charges laid.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) launched Project Fortune in March 2017 after it received a tip from Strathcona County RCMP that the now-closed Barbero Barbershop in Sherwood Park was trafficking cocaine.
“It's not to say that everyone in the barber shop was complicit in this drug trade, but this is where it originated from,” ALERT spokesperson Mike Tucker said.
ALERT conducted search warrants at three north Edmonton homes and two Fort McMurray homes.
One of the Edmonton homes, located in the Eaux Claires neighbourhood, is believed to have been used to package cocaine for street-level sales, ALERT said.
Police seized eight kilograms of cocaine and $215,000 in cash.
“Some of the cocaine that we seized in this investigation is what we refer to as high heat, meaning testing back at very high quality cocaine,” Tucker said.
The network allegedly operated under Ali Ameen Elamki, 27, and Mohamed Rachid Torbeih, 33, ALERT said. The two Edmonton men face several charges, which include conspiracy to traffic cocaine and committing an indictable offence for the benefit of a criminal organization.
Also facing charges for allegedly having roles in the drug-trafficking operation are 21-year-old Ryan Arthur Jones, 21-year-old Sidney Chudek, 30-year-old Ismael Hajar, 33-year-old Jamil Mohamed Razian and 29-year-old Mohamed Mounir Torbeih.
Jones, Chudek and Hajar are from Edmonton, and Razian and Torbeih are from Fort McMurray.
“We're talking about an entire criminal network being dismantled from end to end and the seizure of a million dollars in drugs and cash. For the investigators that worked on this case, this is Christmas in August,” Tucker said.
The seven suspects are out on bail and there’s no word about when the court appearances are.
