Police seek Lower Mainland man linked to suspected drug, weapons trafficking operation

Police are asking for the public’s help as they search for Denis Ivziku, a 24-year-old Lower Mainland man.

Ivziku is wanted as part of a large-scale investigation into a suspected drug and weapons trafficking operation, in which police have seized 110 kg of cocaine and 41 kg of methamphetamine, in addition to other drugs and weapons.

Investigators have also seized $445,000 in Canadian currency.

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Ivziku is one of two outstanding suspects — the other being Kieffer Michael Kramar, a 30-year-old from Winnipeg who police say could be anywhere in the country.

“Both we and the Manitoba RCMP suspect that Ivziku is still here somewhere in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia,” Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit told CityNews. “We think he’s actively hiding out and avoiding arrest. If anyone knows where Mr. Ivziku is, please contact either your local RCMP or the Manitoba RCMP and we would be happy to arrest him.”

Ivziku and Kramar are wanted as part of an investigation police have dubbed Project Divergent, led by the Manitoba RCMP and supported by many other police agencies in Canada and beyond.

There are other B.C. connections too. As part of this investigation, the Mounties say they arrested Damion Ryan last month. Ryan is an alleged full-patch member of the Hells Angels, and someone police believe to be a leader of the Wolf Pack gang coalition in the Lower Mainland.

Police say Damion Ryan was arrested last month as part of an investigation dubbed ‘Project Divergent’ based in Manitoba. (Courtesy: Manitoba RCMP)

In all, police have arrested 22 people as part of this operation, including Kelvin Lee Nelson and Mazin Nzar Zandy, both of Burnaby.

“As we have seen in this province and in this country, deaths due to opioid overdose have been staggering,” said Inspector Grant Stephen, Officer in Charge of the Federal, Serious, and Organized Crime Section said in a statement. “Project Divergent disrupted the supply chain and took these drugs off the street. The utter disregard for human life shown by those involved in these networks, specifically those at the top of the chain, became very clear during this investigation, and we were able to take them out of the equation.”

The investigation is far reaching, and goes well beyond Canada.

“This operation began right here in Manitoba and reached from Vancouver to Toronto, to Colombia, Greece, and the United States,” said Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy, Commanding Officer of the Manitoba RCMP in a statement. “The scope and success of Project Divergent was possible because of the tenacity of our investigators and the incredible and unfailing support of our partners. We could not have done this without them.”

Police believe with these arrests, they have caused a major disruption in the illegal drug supply chain in Canada.