RCMP make numerous drug related arrests across N.W.T.
Three separate drug busts in recent days by N.W.T. RCMP have resulted in several people being charged with drug crimes.
In Yellowknife, police said Monday they arrested three people after a months-long investigation into “dial-a-dope operations.”
“These type of operations involve drug traffickers providing cellular phone numbers to potential buyers and then arranging the sale of drugs at predetermined locations,” reads an RCMP news release.
That investigation determined three people from Yellowknife were operating dial-a-dope phones and resulted in all three — Michael Payne, Yusuf Hashi and Adolphus Lennie — facing drug trafficking charges. The charges haven’t been proven in court.
RCMP laid charges against three more people after receiving a call on Feb. 10 in Norman Wells where police said signs of distress could be heard in the background.
Officers attended the address where the call originated from and found 18 grams of cocaine, drug trafficking paraphernalia and three replica handguns.
Theron Manuel of Fort Smith, Tegan Sutherland of Norman Wells and Mustafa Robleh-Skolos of Edmonton were all charged.
The third drug bust happened in Inuvik on Feb. 11, when officers executed a search warrant for two separate units at the Bompas Place Apartments, also known as the Nova Apartments.
“An investigation supported that the two apartment units were both being used by the same group, for drug trafficking in Inuvik,” the release reads.
RCMP officers seized 60 grams of crack cocaine and $750 in cash as a result of the search.
Four people have charges against them pending, for possession of a controlled substance for trafficking.
Two of the individuals are from Inuvik and two are from B.C. CBC News asked for the names of the individuals, but RCMP spokesperson Matt Halstead said in an email those couldn’t be provided until they are formally charged.
Halstead said the RCMP is looking to see if there are any links between the incidents in Norman Wells and Inuvik, but there is nothing “immediately apparent at this time.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Town hall meeting called in Mayo, Yukon, to talk about drug crisis, CBC News
Canada: Man banned from Yukon community over drug allegations now faces charges in N.W.T., CBC News
Finland: Finland’s alcohol consumption declines by 15%, Yle News
United States: Alaska’s drug problem worsening as police resources strained, Alaska Public Media
