Four people have been arrested in connection with a search of a pair of homes in Langford and Victoria that turned up a stick of dynamite, along with a large amount of drugs and money and two handguns.
The dynamite, which had a detonating cord, was detonated in a controlled explosion at the Saanich Public Works Yard on McKenzie Avenue in February, generating a bang heard throughout much of Greater Victoria.
Three men and a woman ranging in age from 29 to 40 face pending charges related to drug trafficking and the explosive device.
The West Shore RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Unit carried out the searches with help from the Greater Victoria and RCMP Emergency Response Teams, the Victoria Police Department and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C., which targets gangs.
Drugs seized included a brick of cocaine weighing over a kilogram, an additional 17 ounces of suspected cocaine, more than 15 ounces of suspected fentanyl packaged in 150 bags for street sale, about six ounces of suspected MDMA, more than 35 bottles of liquid syrup containing promethazine and codeine, and over 1,000 unidentified pills.
More than $68,000 in cash was also found.
Cpl. Kevin Pollock of the Drug and Organized Crime Unit said seizure of the drugs, money and explosive device in the investigation has “significantly impacted” the drug trade in the West Shore.
“Hundreds of lives would have been affected and possibly lost to the overdose crisis by the sale of these drugs. We are thankful to the other agencies who assisted in this investigation.”
