Three Tri-City residents are among five who were arrested in the culmination of a 10-month investigation into a local drug trafficking organization.
Thousands of dollars in currency, property and drugs were also seized by investigators in the raid that involved executing search warrants at three separate homes.
Coquitlam RCMP said the men face numerous charges after allegedly trafficking in illegal narcotics including cocaine and MDMA. Items seized by police include $12,000 in Canadian currency, 1.5 kg of MDMA and two vehicles.
“These long term investigations can be difficult and challenging for the members involved”, said Cst. Postolovic of the Coquitlam RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Section. “It's a significant achievement for our investigators when there's a successful result following such a lengthy investigation”.
The following people have been charged:
• Steve Sea-Hoon Lee, a 25-year-old Coquitlam resident, faces 25 counts of trafficking a controlled substance, and will appear in B.C. Provincial Court in Port Coquitlam on June 6.
• Shahab Karimi, a 26-year-old Coquitlam resident, faces two counts of trafficking a controlled substance, and will appear in court on May 26.
• Hasan Hazif Ersoy, a 28-year-old Vancouver resident, faces four counts of trafficking a controlled substance, and is due in Vancouver Provincial Court on May 31.
• Tiam Alivand, a 24-year-old Vancouver resident, faces three counts of trafficking a controlled substance, and will appear in court in PoCo on June 6.
• Benjamin Greenlees Banico, a 27-year-old Coquitlam resident, faces three counts of trafficking a controlled substance and will appear in court in PoCo on June 6.
"The Coquitlam RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Section has the ability and the resources to focus their attention on larger scale, long-term investigations," said Const. Jamie Phillipson in a realase. "By targeting criminal organizations involved in the drug trade, they can work to reduce the negative impact drug trafficking has within our community. This seizure represents a large quantity of illegal drugs that could have proved fatal if left on the streets."
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