5 arrested, charged after BC RCMP seize MDMA, cars, cash

Five men have been charged following a series of raids in Maple Ridge and Coquitlam by the RCMP’s Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response Team.

In an update on their two-year-long investigation, Mounties in B.C. say the five men now face multiple charges.

In spring 2022, RCMP officers began their investigation which they say led to the “identification of multiple persons and properties believed to be involved in the production, and trafficking of MDMA.”

In August of that year, the Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response (CLEAR) team executed four search warrants in properties in the Lower Mainland, which found five people and “located a large sophisticated economic-based synthetic drug lab that was capable of producing multi-kilograms of MDMA per cycle.”

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“In total, 49 kilograms of MDMA were seized, with additional precursor chemicals capable of potentially producing a further 80 kilograms of MDMA. A Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV, a Tesla 3, and over $51,000 cash were also seized,” Sgt. Shawn MacNeil said in a statement Wednesday.

Police say the seizure has “prevented an estimated 2.5 million doses of MDMA from entering our communities.”

“Access and availability to illicit synthetic drugs is a primary factor in many deaths. These drugs come from unsanctioned, uncontrolled, and profit-driven facilities. MDMA can pose major health risks to its users, possibly leading to overdose and death,” Insp. Jim Leonard shared.

“MDMA is also often found mixed with other substances which can result in further risk of exposure to tainted drugs. This is why the RCMP Pacific Region Federal Policing Program is unequivocally committed to preventing illicit synthetic drugs, including MDMA from destroying more lives.”

Dennis Halstead, Shawn Cappis, Balbinder Johal, Richard Waugh, and Christopher Alves are now facing charges in relation to drug, car, and cash seizures. The men are expected to face court on Aug. 14.