SASKATOON – Two men accused of being part of a sophisticated organized crime network failed to appear in a Saskatoon court and bench warrants to hold were issued.
Andrew Karamat, 23, and Al ASghar Sarfaz, 26, were arrested earlier this month following a nine-month inter-provincial investigation called Project Octane. They failed to appear in Saskatoon Provincial Court Dec. 21. Karamat and Sarfaz are scheduled to appear in Saskatoon court Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, respectively. If they fail to appear again the judge may choose to activate the warrants for their arrest.
The Saskatoon Integrated Crime Reduction Team and Saskatoon Police Service Drug Unit partnered with Calgary Police’s Guns and Gangs Unit to make arrests in Saskatoon and Calgary.
On April 8, Project Octane raided four homes and a hotel room in Saskatoon; in the 100 block of Fast Crescent, the 200 block of Willis Crescent, the 1100 block of College Drive, the 300 block of 5th Avenue North, and a hotel room in the 400 block of 2nd Avenue South. Police seized $226,600 cash, 4,178 grams of Cocaine, 167 grams of Fentanyl, 67 grams of Methamphetamine, 569 grams of Marijuana, and six vehicles.
Three months later Saskatoon Police charged Karamat and Sarfaz, along with 20-year-old Japjee Minhas, 28-year-old Rajandeep Singh, and 21-year-old Gurkeert Hehar with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and cocaine, trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine, possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine, possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000, and commission of an offence for the benefit of a criminal organization.
Minhas was additionally charged with directing an offence for a criminal organization.
Twenty-eight-year-old Rachel Kidd was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.
Kidd and Hehar return to Saskatoon Provincial Court on June 3, 2022, for Case Management.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Minhas in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Feb. 8.
Singh appears next on Feb. 8 to elect how he wants to be tried.
Calgary Police execute 23 search warrants and arrest 9
During the investigation, Calgary Police executed 23 search warrants in Alberta between April of 2020 and May 2021. This resulted in 73 charges being laid against nine people, in a time period leading up to November 2021.
They arrested Amandeep Saggu, 31, Ravneet Gill, 25, Prabhjyot Bhatti, 22, Jarmanjit Datewas, 23, Jaskaran Sidhu, 22, Jasman Dhaliwal, 19, Steven Whyte, 27, Safwan Riaz, 22, and Irkham Farooq, 23, all of Calgary.
The charges against all of the accused haven't been proven in court.
ljoy@glaciermedia.ca
