NORTH BATTLEFORD – The Battlefords RCMP Gang Task Force [GTF] arrested two people following a six-month investigation into a drug trafficking network in Battleford and North Battleford.
Jake Mason-Lank, 29, and Annaka Pooyak, 22, both of North Battleford were arrested Monday and charged with trafficking cocaine. They were released from custody and are scheduled to appear in North Battleford Provincial Court May 29.
Pooyak and Mason-Lank’s arrest are part of the investigation dubbed Project Falter that dismantled an inter-provincial drug trafficking ring. According to Sgt. Adam Buckingham of the Battlefords RCMP, the RCMP GTF’s investigation started in August 2022. GTF officers used a multitude of advanced investigational techniques, including covert strategies and surveillance to gather information.
Their investigation determined illicit drugs were coming from Edmonton and then trafficked in the Battlefords area via a phone-in delivery service.
To take down the drug trafficking operation, the GTF got help from a number of Saskatchewan RCMP and partner policing units. These include Saskatchewan RCMP's Battlefords Municipal General Investigation Section [GIS], Battlefords and Saskatoon Provincial GIS, Crime Reduction Team, Warrant Enforcement Response Team, Police Dog Services, Integrated Intelligence Units and Battlefords detachment, the Edmonton Police Service Drug and Gang Enforcement Unit [EDGE], the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team [ALERT], Edmonton Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit [CFSEU], and Strathcona RCMP.
Then, on Feb. 2, a planned, unified enforcement effort was implemented by the GTF and partner units. Two vehicles were stopped by police, including an on-shift drug delivery vehicle in the Battlefords area. Simultaneous search warrants were then executed at numerous homes in the Battlefords and Edmonton areas.
In total, police seized nearly eight kilograms of suspected cocaine, 281 grams of Xanax tablets, more than 9,000 pre-rolled cannabis joints, 898 cartons of contraband cigarettes, more than 35 kilograms of cutting agent, a large sum of cash, and four illegally-possessed handguns.
In February, Battlefords RCMP charged six people, including Daniel Norgaard, 34, Andrew Koberinski, 27, Delia Bull, 20, Shae Laliberte, 24, Zhakary Night, 21, and Olja Budinski, 22, from North Battleford. Edmonton Police Service charged two men in connection to this investigation.
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