About 30 police officers, including a tactical team, simultaneously raided four homes in Colwood and Langford on Wednesday, arresting two men in their 20s.
Officers also searched a storage locker that investigators described as a “war room” that held six sets of body armour, a shotgun and a handgun, both with ammunition. The handgun is a prohibited weapon and neither weapon was legally registered to the suspects.
At a news conference Friday where the seized items were on display, Victoria police Insp. Brian Fox said police will further investigate the connection between the arrested men and the storage locker.
Three of the raided homes were linked to “associates” of the two arrested men, Fox said.
Two women, one from Colwood and another from Langford, were arrested and released without charge.
Inside the homes, police found about $40,000 in cash, about half a kilogram of cocaine, which has a street-level value of $35,000, and heroin worth $10,000.
A newer model Dodge Charger was seized as offence-related property.
The investigation began in July 2013, when the Victoria police strike force unit targeted two men. Police said both are known for drug dealing and violent crimes, and one has ties to the Red Scorpion gang.
Police started a covert investigation to uncover their drug-dealing. The province’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, which targets high-profile gangsters, and West Shore RCMP also became involved.
Both men have been charged with drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, but other charges including weapons offences are possible. Both have been remanded into custody.
Victoria Police Chief Frank Elsner said in a statement the arrests are a good example of several departments working together.
“Not only did they successfully target these dangerous individuals, but they were able to show our communities the strength of our policing partnerships by working so closely with our RCMP counterparts,” Elsner said.
“When we leave our shoulder flashes at the door, we get great things done.”
Combined forces spokesman Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said the arrests show “the tentacles of gangs and gang violence reach every corner of our province.”
— with files from Louise Dickson
