A 19-year-old from Edmonton was arrested in Fort Resolution after RCMP’s weekend search of a Fort Smith home in connection with a drug trafficking investigation.
On Saturday, police blocked off a portion of Fort Smith’s McDougal Road while a search took place.
In an update on Wednesday morning, police said two adults were arrested at that home, including one “target of the investigation.” Police did not name either person and said they have so far not been charged.
RCMP said a third person – the second suspect in their investigation – was arrested that evening in Fort Resolution after an Elder in the community asked police to remove him from their home.
According to police, Abel Leule, who is from Edmonton, was found with 84 grams of crack cocaine, 35 grams of suspected Percocet and $5,500 in cash. The 19-year-old has been charged with trafficking a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking, being unlawfully in a dwelling house, obstructing a police officer and failing to comply with court conditions.
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None of the charges against Leule have been proven in court. He was scheduled to appear before a justice of the peace in Yellowknife on Wednesday morning.
In a Wednesday news release, RCMP said residents remain their best source of information about drug trafficking. Officers encouraged anyone with information about potential trafficking to contact their local detachment or Crime Stoppers.
“Drug traffickers are coming into our communities and coercing their way into personal residences so they can conduct their business,” Cpl Matt Halstead said in a statement.
“The people that are housing these drug traffickers are sometimes compensated for their silence or other times, too scared to say anything.
“This type of activity exploits not only people struggling with addictions but also the vulnerable people in our communities who house these traffickers and are subjected to this illegal and dangerous activity.”
