Vancouver police confiscated about $3 million in drugs, guns, and cash following an investigation into an organized crime ring fuelling the illicit drug market in the Downtown Eastside. .“We are committed to rooting out organized and predatory criminals who manufacture and produce the harmful street drugs that kill vulnerable people in our communities,” said Vancouver police Insp. Phil Heard in a Tuesday press release. .“This seizure disrupted business for a criminal organization and made life a bit safer for people struggling with illicit substance use.”.The release said Vancouver police launched Project Torque in 2021 to target a drug trafficking operation believed to be manufacturing and distributing fentanyl pills disguised as generic Percocet. While some of the drugs were sold in places such as the Downtown Eastside, it said others were sent out of province and exchanged for cash. .Percocet is safe to consume at prescribed doses for moderate to severe pain, but the pills can be sold on the streets to opioid addicts. When illegally produced and laced with fentanyl, the pills become addictive and often fatal, creating a significant public safety risk. .The release went on to say Vancouver police executed multiple search warrants in October, seizing 72 kilograms of fake, fentanyl-laced pills, 16.5 kilograms of cocaine, 88 kilograms of cutting agents, methamphetamine, MDMA, and benzodiazepine. It added the drugs would have netted $3 million for organized crime and violence in Metro Vancouver if sold on the streets. .Vancouver police seized three handguns, ammunition, body armour, and $123,000 cash, which resulted in three arrests. .Police anticipate multiple charges will be laid once the investigation concludes. .Heard said the results from the investigation are “borne from the hard work and dedication of our specially-trained gangs and drugs experts, who spent months gathering evidence against these organized criminals.” .“This should serve as a reminder to other illicit drug producers — by the time you realize we’ve been watching you, you could already be in handcuffs,” he said.
