Fifty criminal charges have been laid against five young men linked to an investigation into a Fraser Valley crime cell operating out of B.C.’s north.
B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says the 2014 investigation resulted in the arrests of several people and the seizure of millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs, including the potentially deadly narcotic fentanyl.
The following are now facing charges:
Jordan Anthony Ramos, 26, of Chilliwack, is charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. He is in custody in Alberta on unrelated charges.
Dana Mikael Hendrick Schaper-Kotter, 25, of Chilliwack, is charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and 12 counts of possession of a prohibited device.
Darcy Horvath, 23, of Chilliwack, is charged with nine counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and 12 counts of possession of a prohibited device.
Lucas Benjamin Thiessen, 22, of Chilliwack, is charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Kyle Harrower, 25, Chilliwack, is charged with five counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
In February 2015, the CFSEU-BC raided two properties in Chilliwack and arrested four men and one woman. The search of two residences and three storage lockers resulted in the seizure of eight firearms, prohibited magazines, silencers, and more than $200,000 in cash. Also seized was an estimated $2 million dollars worth of drugs, which included a large quantity of the drug fentanyl, which has been linked to a rash of overdose deaths in Vancouver in recent months.
Arrest warrants have been issued for two other men — Lucas Thiessen and Dana Schaper-Kotter. Police are searching for Theissen and Schaper-Kotter and ask anyone with information to contact the local police or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
