Vancouver police arrest 4, seize $13M in drugs, guns, cash

The Vancouver Police Department says it has arrested four people in relation to a year-long investigation into what it calls an “organized crime” group.

Along with the arrests, the VPD says it also seized about $13 million worth of drugs, cash, and guns.

Police say in March, investigators from the department’s Organized Crime Section carried out three searches in downtown Vancouver. They claim to have found 14 kilograms of fentanyl, 12 kilograms of cocaine, 17 kilograms of methamphetamine, 73 kilograms of MDMA, four guns, and more than $190,000 in cash.

The year-long investigation, named “Project Torque,” previously had netted a seizure of $3 million worth of drugs and guns in December 2022. At that time, more than 88 kilograms of illicit drugs were found.

“In total, during this investigation, more than 200 kilograms of illicit hard drugs have been seized. I am confident that seizures of this magnitude will successfully dismantle the organized crime groups involved,” Insp. Phil Heard said.

Police say two men and two women were arrested in relation to the March search warrants. Police add charges have not yet been approved, however, they expect multiple drug and firearm charges to be laid once the investigation is complete.