Red Deer RCMP have arrested a man and seized more than two pounds of what is believed to be cocaine in a drug trafficking investigation that began in mid-December and ended with RCMP executing a search warrant at the suspect’s residence and on his vehicle on Jan. 4th.

The trafficking investigation was initiated by the Red Deer RCMP GIS unit on Dec. 8th as a result of intelligence gathered by their drug investigators; it culminated in the arrest of the suspect the morning of Jan. 4th during a traffic stop in a north Red Deer parking lot. The search warrant on the suspect’s Highland Green apartment was executed shortly after 11:30 a.m. the same day.

RCMP seized 37 ounces of cocaine during the search of the residence, along with paraphernalia consistent with drug trafficking. The cocaine seizure was one of the largest cocaine seizures by Red Deer RCMP in recent years.

“RCMP officers seized about 1,040 grams, much of it packed into one-ounce packages, and when you consider that a gram of cocaine contains about five individual doses, we took a lot of drugs off the streets last week,” says Inspector Gerald Grobmeier of the Red Deer RCMP. “The amount of cocaine we seized could equal between 5,200 and 15,000 individual doses, depending on how a dealer cut it with other filler.”

Chuot Le, 57, faces a charge of Possession of Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking.

“Alongside all the addiction issues, the drug trade brings violence, weapons, home invasions and property crime into the community,” says Grobmeier. “By attacking the drug trade, we are working to reduce crimes of all types in Red Deer and area.”

If you have information about this or any drug trafficking investigation, contact the Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or report it online at www.tipsubmit.com. If your information leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward up to $2,000.