On March 30, 2022, RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) Saskatchewan in partnership with the Regina Police Service, launched an inter-provincial drug trafficking investigation targeting a prolific drug network supplying large amounts of illicit drugs across Western Canada. Throughout the year, investigators worked together to collect and corroborate information required to identify the persons responsible and their locations and the scope of the criminal activities involved.
On May 11 and 12, 2023, RCMP FSOC Saskatchewan executed six search warrants and arrested the individuals directly involved in the inter-provincial drug trafficking investigation. The search warrants were executed in Weyburn and Moose Jaw, SK; and Vancouver and Burnaby, BC. In total, 10 individuals were arrested without incident and 54 Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act charges have been laid.
As a result of this investigation, officers have seized for evidence, approximately 3.36 kg of MDMA, 8.95 kg of cocaine and 28.17 kg of methamphetamine. The cocaine seized has been tested and resulted in purity levels as high as 97 percent. This seizure will disrupt the supply of illicit, lethal drugs destined for distribution across Canada – particularly Saskatchewan.
“This investigation has demonstrated the presence of illicit drugs in small towns and rural areas – it is not strictly a big city issue. When we look at the impact of drug trafficking in our communities, there is violence and property crime. We know the abuse of drugs fuels deadly addictions which ruin the lives of Canadians every day – this is evident in the information we have released about fatal overdoses in our rural Saskatchewan communities,” says Inspector Andrew Farquhar, Officer in Charge of RCMP FSOC in Saskatchewan. “Our goal is to prevent illicit drugs from entering our communities in the first place.”
“Bringing this investigation to a successful conclusion has not only disrupted criminal activity at multiple levels, but has also created a significant hole in the pockets of local, national and international crime groups,” says Superintendent Trent Stevely, in charge of the Investigative Services Division at the Regina Police Service. “This seizure by police means these illicit drugs will never be on our streets in Saskatchewan, victimizing our communities.”
This investigation received support from the following partner and police agencies:
- Regina Police Service
- Regina Integrated Intelligence Unit
- Weyburn Police Service
- Vancouver Police Department
- Moose Jaw Police Service
- “E” Division Federal and Serious Organized Crime
- “K” Division Federal and Serious Organized Crime
- Burnaby RCMP Drug Section
- Burnaby RCMP Detachment
- “G” Division Federal Arctic Unit
- Public Prosecution Service of Canada
- Correctional Services Canada
This investigation also received additional support from specialized Saskatchewan RCMP units:
- Moose Jaw RCMP Crime Reduction Team
- Swift Current RCMP Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT)
- White Butte RCMP Detachment
- Saskatchewan RCMP’s Criminal Analytical Sections
- RCMP Special Investigations Section
“Dismantling this inter-provincial, international drug-trafficking investigation required extensive resource collaboration from across the country and reacting quickly as the investigation and arrests unfolded. Working closely with established partnerships with municipal police agencies, other RCMP Divisions and our government departments provided us with a unique ability to exchange intelligence and utilize different police techniques and resources,” says Insp. Farquhar.
“The Regina Police Service will continue to work closely with our valued provincial and federal RCMP partners, along with other municipal police agencies and government agencies. Our combined efforts, shared resources and mutual investigative supports are the reasons that significant investigations like this are successful,” says Supt. Stevely.
Removing dangerous, illicit drugs from the communities we serve continues to be a top priority for the Saskatchewan RCMP. If you have information about drug trafficking in your area, you can report it to your local detachment by calling 310-RCMP. Information can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1‐800‐222‐TIPS (8477) or submitting a tip online at www.saskcrimestoppers.com. For more information on ways to protect yourself, or someone you know, when using illicit drugs, read Saskatchewan RCMP renews warnings about the dangers of illicit drugs after recent overdoses.
The investigation is ongoing.
Backgrounder
Note: the quantity of drugs seized for evidence and charges laid are subject to change pending further analysis and investigation.
The following individuals have been charged and arrested:
- 27-year-old Nikola Galic from Burnaby, BC
- 26-year-old Cassandra Beckett-Benjamin from Toronto, ON (arrested in Burnaby, BC)
- 41-year-old Zlatko Mandaric from Burnaby, BC
- 28-year old Sasa Bilusic from Moose Jaw, SK
- 22-year-old Braylen Breton from Moose Jaw, SK
- 41-year-old Jamie Neufeld (female) from Weyburn, SK
- 36-year-old Courtney Austin from Moose Jaw, SK
- 40-year-old Mitch Schoffer from Moose Jaw, SK
- Two individuals were released without charges laid.
Charges include:
- Trafficking in a substance or substance included in Schedule I, section 5(1) of the CDSA
- Possession of a substance included in Schedule I for the purpose of trafficking, section 5(2) of the CDSA
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.00, sections 354(1) and 355(a) of the Criminal Code
- Conspire to commit an indictable offence of trafficking in a controlled substance, sections 5(1) and 465(1)(c) of the Criminal Code
- Conspire to commit the indictable offense of possession of property over $5,000.00, sections 354(1) and 355(a) and 465(1)(c) of the Criminal Code
- Among others.
Galic will appear in Regina Provincial Court next on June 6. All others will appear in Regina Provincial Court next on June 19, 2023.
About FSOC: Federal Policing targets the most serious criminal threats to Canadians, including national security, transnational and serious organized crime and cybercrime. Federal Policing is a core responsibility of the RCMP that is carried out in every province and territory in Canada, as well as internationally. This priority focuses on criminal activities that cross international and/or provincial borders, carried out by organizations, networks, or entities.
The mission of “F” Division Federal Serious and Organized Crime is to disrupt, dismantle and support prosecution of serious and organized crime groups and their members in conjunction with our domestic and international partners. Serious organized crime encompasses the trafficking of drugs, people or weapons, various fraud schemes, and the laundering of illicit proceeds generated by these crimes.