Victoria police discovered a drug trafficking ring in an encampment in Centennial Square after launching an undercover investigation into violence in the area.
From Aug. 11 to 15, patrol officers, strike force officers and members of the community service division posed as customers buying illicit drugs from people staying in tents in Centennial Square, Const. Cam MacIntyre said Wednesday.
The undercover operation was in response to two stabbings on Aug. 10 and numerous assaults. An office window at City Hall were also shot at with a compressed air gun, he said.
Police believe the increase in violent crime is linked to the drug trade in the area.
During the undercover operation, the officers bought methamphetamine, cocaine, psilocybin and fentanyl from tents in the square. They learned that several tents were used primarily for drug trafficking on a rotating basis, said MacIntyre.
“One day, a tent would be used for drug transactions. The next day, bedding would be moved into the tent for someone to sleep in. Then the following day, the bedding would be removed and the same tent would go back to being used for drug trafficking,” he said.
Officers conducting surveillance noticed that at least one man they suspected of drug trafficking left his residence, drove to Centennial Square, parked a block away, then went to a tent to traffic drugs.
Additional surveillance led officers to stop a man who had entered Centennial Square with a concealed weapon. When officers spoke to him, he said he was armed with a metal club to protect himself against violence in Centennial Square.
MacIntyre said undercover officers faced threats of violence as well as violence during the investigation. “Our undercover officers were actually robbed during this operation,” he said.
Seventeen people, two women and 15 men, face drug- trafficking charges. Five people have been arrested and charged, said MacIntyre. Warrants have been issued for 12 others. Another person faces a charge of robbery.
Victoria police said the five people who were arrested will be released from custody on condition that they not return to Centennial Square.
