Driver has ties to the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict
STRATEGIC targeted enforcement by the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team (SGET) has led to the seizure of drugs and cash from a hidden compartment inside a vehicle.
On January 1, at approximately 11 p.m., an SGET officer conducted a traffic stop involving a Nissan Maxima in the 9000-block of 156th Street. During the interaction with the driver, the officer observed a knife and bear spray inside the vehicle. As a result, the driver was arrested for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
As the investigation progressed, the officer observed signs that there could be a hidden compartment inside the vehicle. The vehicle was subsequently seized and a search warrant obtained. The driver, who is known to police and has ties to the Lower Mainland gang conflict, was issued violation tickets and released at the scene pending further investigation.
On January 3, the search warrant was executed on the vehicle with the assistance of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). A hidden compartment was located inside the vehicle and several items were found inside it including approximately $10,000 cash, and about an ounce of suspected cocaine.
The hidden compartment also held two bags containing hundreds of small packages of suspected crack cocaine and fentanyl.
“Sophisticated after-market compartments like the one we located in this vehicle show the lengths drug traffickers will go to try to evade law enforcement,” says Staff-Sgt. Ryan Element of the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team. “Our teams are well aware of these tactics and we will continue to relentlessly target drug trafficking and gang activity in Surrey.”
Police said that the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team will continue overt suppression of gang-related activity in the city in partnership with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and other police services in the region.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
