Three people have been arrested and 178 grams of cocaine have been seized as a result of an RCMP investigation. In May, the Prince Albert Crime Reduction Team began investigating a drug trafficking operation in Melfort and area. An RCMP news release says investigators used specialized advanced tactics including surveillance and judicially authorized tracking to gather evidence.

Three homes, a storage unit and three vehicles were searched in the Melfort and Kinistino area on October 22nd. Along with the cocaine, 15 grams of meth, cash and three non-restricted firearms which weren’t licensed were seized.

A 39-year-old from Melfort, David Barks is facing charges that include possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine and meth, possession of the proceeds of crime, and possession of a firearm without a license. Forty-four-year-old Grant Day of Melfort and Tanis Michel of Kinistino are charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.

Superintendent Glenn Church, the officer in charge of the RCMP’s Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Team, says, “Their investigation determined these illicit drugs were being trafficked to multiple communities, including Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Melfort, Star City, Tisdale, Kinistino and Pleasantdale. All of these communities are safer because of this drug seizure and the dismantlement of this trafficking operation.”