Five people have been arrested after a year-long drug-trafficking sting following a police raid of properties in Langford, Shawnigan Lake and Duncan.
West Shore RCMP’s drugs and organized crime unit also recovered a stolen vehicle and a stolen mountain bike and seized two vehicles and a motorbike that police believe were used to commit crimes, said West Shore RCMP spokeswoman Const. Nancy Saggar.
The multi-jurisdictional operation, which included covert surveillance, led police to search homes in Shawnigan Lake and Langford and a business in Duncan. Saggar would not disclose the name of the business.
Investigators believe the properties were linked to the same drug-dealing operation.
Officers seized 90 grams of suspected cocaine, a prohibited modified handgun that was loaded and stored unsafely, four replica handguns and other prohibited weapons, including brass knuckles and a switchblade knife, Saggar said. One of the weapons was a pellet gun that was modified to be able to fire .22-calibre bullets. In one of the properties, officers found an illegal, unlicensed marijuana-grow operation with more than 100 plants. Police also seized $30,000 in cash.
Three men, ages 32, 23 and 21, and two women, ages 29 and 23, were arrested during the raids. They are from Shawnigan Lake and Langford.
All five have been released on bail.
