SWIFT CURRENT - Swift Current RCMP STRT, Swift Current RCMP GIS and Morse RCMP raided a property in the 100th block of 2nd Ave East in Hodgeville and seized a large amount of drugs.
Keenan Leith Ireland of Hodgeville was arrested and charged with three counts of trafficking drugs [fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine], possession for the purpose of trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, and possessing the proceeds of crime over $5,000.
Ireland made his first appearance in Swift Current Provincial Court on March 24 and is scheduled to appear next via CCTV on March 29.
The seizure and arrest comes after an inter-provincial drug investigation was launched in January by the Saskatchewan RCMP’s Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team [STRT] in Swift Current and the Swift Current RCMP General Investigation Section [GIS].
Over the following months, investigators worked in collaboration and corroborated information to better locate and identify Ireland’s whereabouts and activities. Based on the information gathered, Ireland was believed to be actively trafficking drugs into southern Saskatchewan from Alberta. Through investigative techniques, officers were able to determine he was located in the village of Hodgeville.
On March 23, Ireland was located at the residence and arrested without incident. A search of the property resulted in police locating a sum of cash, 2.5 kg of methamphetamine, 1 kg of fentanyl, 0.5 kg of cocaine and between 40-50 small vials cannabis resin.
On the same day, police executed a search warrant at a home in the 100 block of Grey Street in Swift Current. No one was in the house at the time. Police found about nine ounces of methamphetamine and about half an ounce of cocaine.
“Fentanyl is a very potent opioid pain reliever and is sometimes mixed with other street drugs. It can take many forms: a colourful powder, chunks, pills or patches. The fentanyl seized as part of this investigation was multi-coloured,” said Superintendent Glenn Church, Officer in Charge of the Saskatchewan RCMP Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Team [SERT].
“A few grains of fentanyl can be enough to kill you – I hope the quantity we have seized in this investigation can help to paint a picture of the magnitude of the danger this drug leaves in our communities if it is untraced. This was a significant seizure which will greatly impact the supply of the lethal drugs originally destined for southwest Saskatchewan.”
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Getting dangerous illicit drugs off the street 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.
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