A Red Deer man and a Red Deer woman face drug trafficking charges after the Priority Crimes Task Force arrested them and seized fentanyl and cocaine during a highway traffic stop last week.
The arrests were the result of a targeted drug trafficking investigation that spanned several days and involved shared intelligence and collaboration between task force members from Innisfail and Red Deer RCMP and members of Calgary Police Service. Innisfail RCMP arrested the pair in a traffic stop shortly after 4 p.m. on Sept. 28th on QEII Hwy. at the south Innisfail overpass as the suspects returned to Central Alberta from Calgary. RCMP seized fentanyl and cocaine and items consistent with drug trafficking during the arrest, including a locked safe police believed to contain drugs.
The Innisfail General Investigations Section obtained a search warrant and found the safe to contain fentanyl tablets, cocaine and items consistent with drug trafficking. In total, 157 fentanyl tablets, half an ounce of cocaine, a quarter ounce of an unknown drug and items consistent with drug trafficking were seized.
“This investigation identified fentanyl trafficking activity from Calgary to Central Alberta, and we can be sure the impact of this deadly drug went far beyond those identified points,” says Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk of the Innisfail RCMP. “We will keep collaborating and sharing intelligence between the Priority Crimes Task Force and other police detachments to keep putting those involved in the drug trade before the courts.”
Derek Fitzgerald Savard, 32, and Jennifer Amanda Lindsay, 31, each face two charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking (CDSA 5(2)). Savard was also wanted on outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest.
Priority Crimes Task Force members continue to investigate and RCMP will issue updates if new information becomes available.
The Priority Crimes Task Force is made up of members from Red Deer RCMP General Investigative Section (GIS), Sylvan Lake, Innisfail, Blackfalds, Ponoka, Rimbey and Rocky Mountain House RCMP detachments and Lacombe Police Service. The task force is committed to increased inter-agency communication, shared criminal intelligence and a strategic focus on prolific property crimes offenders, in keeping with the K Division emphasis on crime reduction strategies.
– Fawcett
