A little bit of teamwork went a long way for the Estevan Police Service last Wednesday.
The EPS and a number of law enforcement organizations teamed up to arrest three men on a variety of drug-related offences.
According to a press release, Estevan Police and the RCMP Integrated Border Enforcement Team, along with assistance from members of the Regina Integrated Drug Unit and the Canada Border Service Agency, launched an investigation into cocaine trafficking on Sept. 29.
That same day, EPS members intercepted a vehicle that was en route to Estevan. The vehicle was stopped north of the city and all three occupants were taken into custody.
Arrested were Deutong Athel, Maluak Athel and Mondir Minouche, who are all said to be relatively new to the area. Police also seized 50 packages of crack cocaine and 42 grams of marijuana which has a street value of $6,000. They also seized $1,700 in cash.
The trio made their first appearance in Estevan court Thursday morning and were back in court Monday morning for a bail hearing.
Results from the hearings were not available before press time.
The men are each facing charges of trafficking cocaine, trafficking marijuana, possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of the proceeds of crime.
This the fourth significant drug bust for the EPS in the past few weeks. On August 23, two people were arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Days later, two more people were arrested and are also facing a number of charges. Another three men, all hailing from Surrey, B.C. were then arrested Aug. 31 and are currently in custody as their charges make their way through court.
