A man has been charged after investigators with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC) investigated the alleged drug trafficking network operating in the Interior and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
In July 2024, CFSEU-BC started an investigation into an alleged drug trafficking network in the Lower Mainland. The investigative team uncovered that the drug trafficking network was widespread and had ties in Kamloops.
In December 2024, CFSEU-BC and Kamloops RCMP executed three search warrants in Kamloops and arrested four individuals for drug trafficking. The arrested individuals were released pending charge approval.
The following items were seized:
• 11kg of drugs
o 3.5 kg of methamphetamines;
o 4.5 kg of fentanyl;
o 2 kg of cocaine;
• Two prohibited firearms
• $111,000 in cash.
The investigation remained ongoing and on February 20, 2025, the investigative team executed an additional seven search warrants which included residences, vehicles and a storage locker. The four residences were located in Vancouver and Burnaby. Three men were arrested and one has been charged.
One of the men arrested was identified as 31-year-old Daniel Penton. Penton remains in custody and has been charged with the following offences:
* Unlawful possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
* Possession of 13 unloaded firearms, with readily accessible ammunition capable of being discharged in the firearms, without being the holder of a licence under which he may possess the firearms;
* Possession of prohibited devices including silencers and oversized magazines, knowing that he was not the holder of a licence under which he may possess them;
* Possession of firearms, ammunition and/or prohibited devices, while he was prohibited.
A small-scale clandestine lab was also dismantled in one of the residential condos in Vancouver.
The following items were seized from the seven search warrants:
• 2 kg of suspected illicit substance;
• 18 firearms including handguns and assaults rifles;
• Ammunition;
• Extended magazines;
• Silencers;
• 6 body armour vests;
• Smoke grenades;
• Radio jammers;
• Tracking devices and balaclavas;
• Approximately $200,000 in cash of which $100,000 was in fake currency.
This was a coordinated effort by CFSEU-BC and multiple partner agencies: Kamloops RCMP, Burnaby RCMP, Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team, RCMP Clandestine Lab Enforcement and Response Team, IFIS, Vancouver Police Department Forensic Identification Section, Vancouver Police Department Strike Force, Vancouver Police Department Emergency Response Team and Vancouver Police Department GCU.
“The efforts of our TEU members and partner agencies has been commendable to say the least, with countless hours dedicated to help address the drug-conflict in Kamloops and reduce the risk to public safety,” said Superintendent Jeff Pelley, Kamloops RCMP Detachment’s Officer in Charge. “Focusing on local drug traffickers and those associated to presenting the highest level of violence and risk remains a strategic priority of our detachment, and we look forward to more successes in the future.”
“This significant seizure of illegal drugs, firearms and cash represent a major victory in our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe. By dismantling criminal operations that fuel violence and addiction, we are not only preventing harm to individuals, but also protecting the integrity of our neighbourhoods”, said Inspector Mark Goodall of CFSEU-BC.
